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Fulton Schools In The News

March

2025
  • Taiwan Semiconductor is hiring in Phoenix

    Taiwan Semiconductor is hiring in Phoenix

    A significant expansion of one of the world’s major semiconductor manufacturers is underway at its Phoenix facilities, where the company will need to substantially increase its workforce. The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., or TSMC, recruits from universities across the U.S., but is focusing particularly on the Fulton Schools, from which about 7,000 students are projected to soon graduate with skills in semiconductor work. Many are currently engaged with TSMC through fellowships and company-sponsored research. The relationship has led to an ASU TSMC Partnership that has ambitious goals to enhance education in microelectronics, upskill the industry workforce and accelerate research.

  • Low Earth Orbit Networks Pushing Geostationary Giants To Innovate

    Low Earth Orbit Networks Pushing Geostationary Giants To Innovate

    Financial market watchers are indicating it’s time for innovation by the Geostationary Earth Orbit, or GEO, operators due to increased competition in the satellite sector, price pressure and risk of oversupply from Low Earth Orbit networks. One research analyst says the proprietary and specialized GEO infrastructure of the past is weighing down space industry veterans who must rapidly innovate as competition mounts. Daniel Bliss, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of ASU’s Center for Wireless Information Systems and Computational Architectures, talks about the engineering and technical challenges of ensuring the effective performance space satellite networks.

  • ASU’s world-class science facilities are transforming student lives, careers

    ASU’s world-class science facilities are transforming student lives, careers

    In the ASU Biodesign Institute’s basement lab, students are working on the compact X-ray free electron laser, or CXFEL, project, which potentially could help lead to revolutionary scientific progress. Among the research team members are Fulton Schools students, including mechanical engineering and physics student Albert Richardson and fellow engineering and physics student Gavin Russo, along with computer systems engineering Alexis Vasquez, among others. They and fellow students say the hands-on research and development experience with high-level technologies is energizing and motivating them to set their sights on pursuing efforts aimed at developing major engineering and technology innovations in their career fields.

  • Breaking barriers: Women driving progress in NASCAR and beyond

    Breaking barriers: Women driving progress in NASCAR and beyond

    As the world celebrates Women’s History Month, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, better known as NASCAR, is heralding how women continue to emerge in the professional auto racing arena, Among the young up-and-coming standouts in the sport is Isabella Robusto, an aerospace engineering student in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools. At 20, Robusto is seen as part of the next generation of racing stars. She shares her views on the evolution of the sport, the challenges it presents, the rewards it offers and how it is preparing for her for a career in a competitive world.

  • ASU student team places third in global sustainability competition

    ASU student team places third in global sustainability competition

    Two ASU teams from among more than 130 student teams worldwide took on challenges in the EcoTech Emerge competition to develop cutting-edge, net-zero carbon emissions for innovative agricultural management systems driven by artificial intelligence technology. An ASU team including Xiaolin Xi, a student in the university’s W.P. Carey School of Business artificial intelligence in business graduate program, and four students in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, Saurabh Dusane, a computer engineering student, Sreehari Krishna Sadesh, a computer science graduate student, and  industrial engineering student Tanushri Magesh Sowmya earned a third place award, while computer science students Sahil Pai and Brandon Lim took a first place award.

  • How a 19-year-old ASU student is building an online gaming powerhouse

    How a 19-year-old ASU student is building an online gaming powerhouse

    Problems with a slow-acting computer and a lagging internet connection when he was a teenager are among annoyances that motivated Sandul Gangodagamage to seek solutions that would eventually drive him to start a company while still  in high school and later win several pitch competitions, including an ASU Venture Devils prize last year. Gangodagamage, now a second-year computer science student in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy,  part of the Fulton Schools, has scaled his Legion Games company, to what  he says has  more than eight million users across 190 countries. He describes his path to this success and the outlook for expansion of his ventures in coming years.

  • Why do so many pilots train in Arizona? The answer traces back to WWII

    Why do so many pilots train in Arizona? The answer traces back to WWII

    Why is Phoenix and municipalities in the surrounding metropolitan, suburban and rural areas a hotspot for training aircraft pilots? On this podcast, Anthony Wende, an assistant teaching professor in the aviation program at The Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools, joons others in helping trace the local history and the region’s development over many decades. They reveal that Arizona became the first international airport of the Americas and how World War II brought many aspiring pilots to train in the state’s inviting climate, with its year-round blue skies.

  • Mapping the way to harvesting water from air

    Mapping the way to harvesting water from air

    There are new technologies that promise to help solve many of the world’s biggest water supply challenges. Those tools and systems were part of the focus of the recent International Atmospheric Water Harvesting Summit at ASU. The Fulton Schools were among hosts of the event, which as chaired by Paul Westhoff, an ASU Regents Professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. In this article, Westerhoff answers questions about the world’s most pressing water supply and sustainability challenges and related economic challenges. The interview also explores the possibilities of harvesting water from the Earth’s atmosphere to prevent water shortages.

  • Project of the Year Finalist, Airport/Transit

    Project of the Year Finalist, Airport/Transit

    Contributors to the second phase of the Phoenix Northwest Light Rail Transit system included a team of students in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, led by Fulton Schools Professor Barzin Mobasher.  The team helped to ensure the performance of the concrete used in the project, which has been named a finalist in the Engineering News Record, or ENR, Southwest regional competition for Best Projects completed in 2024. In an American Society of Civil Engineers publication, Mobasher wrote about how students verified that the use of an advanced concrete with steel fibers for the 1.6-mile, multimillion-dollar extension significantly improved ductility and met the 45-year service life of 2 million structural fatigue cycles.

  • Can TSMC fill thousands of jobs for $165B Phoenix chip-making plants?

    Can TSMC fill thousands of jobs for $165B Phoenix chip-making plants?

    A planned $100 billion expansion of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing operations in Phoenix was announced recently, bringing with it the challenge of finding the many qualified workers with a range of skills in a variety of high-tech fields the company will need to achieve it goals. One source is the Fulton Schools, with many of its more than 30,000 students whose studies are preparing them to support the needs of the booming microelectronics industry. The Fulton Schools, the largest engineering school in the nation, is poised to be vital partner in TSMC’s expansion, says an ASU spokesperson.

  • A 6-month road repair that only takes 10 days, at a fraction of the cost? It’s possible thanks to ASU concrete research

    A 6-month road repair that only takes 10 days, at a fraction of the cost? It’s possible thanks to ASU concrete research

    Arizona’s bridges, railways and roadways are increasingly providing the state safer, more sustainable and economic transit infrastructure, options and services. Some of those benefits are rooted in achievements enabled by research at ASU. Among examples of that impact is the development of fiber reinforced concrete by Professors Barzin Mobasher and Narayanan Neithalath in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. Work they are directing in the Structural Mechanics and Infrastructure Materials  and Cement and Concrete Materials laboratories is contributing to improved construction materials for development and repair of transportation systems as well as broader innovations that are helping to enhance mobility and livability in communities.

  • ASU ranks No. 9 worldwide for US patents in 2024

    ASU ranks No. 9 worldwide for US patents in 2024

    ASU rose one spot among U.S. universities on the Academy of Inventors’ annual list of the top universities worldwide. Last year, ASU secured 180 utility patents, up by 10 from the previous year, earning a ranking in the top 10 in the U.S. Among achievements highlighted in this report is the development by ASU and Texas Instruments researchers of technology that helps semiconductor chip designers by improving the way electronic devices match to one another electronically inside a high-tech processing chip. Creators of the patented technology include Sule Ozev, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools.

    See also: ASU among the top 10 universities for utility patents, Wrangler News Tempe Independent, March 17
    Professor Sule Ozev and Associate Professor Wenlong Zhang, in the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks are mentioned

     

  • ‘Incredible milestone’: ASU, city of Phoenix announce location for ASU Health headquarters

    ‘Incredible milestone’: ASU, city of Phoenix announce location for ASU Health headquarters

    A 30-acre Phoenix Bioscience Core innovation zone to be developed in the city’s downtown core will benefit from the resources of the Fulton Schools. The future ASU Health headquarters will be part of the complex that will include the university’s School of Medicine and Advanced Medical Engineering and the School of Technology for Public Health. Plans are for ASU Health to work closely with ASU’s College of Health Solutions, the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation and the Fulton Schools to form what one official said will be the “center of the universe” for dialog relating to health for Arizonans.

    See also:  Officials announce plans for new ASU health headquarters in downtown Phoenix, ABC News 15 Arizona, March 10

    ASU announces location for health headquarters in Phoenix, Daily Independent, March 10

    ASU announces downtown Phoenix location of future medical school, KTAR News-Phoenix, March 11

    ASU, City of Phoenix announce location for ASU Health headquarters, AZ Big Media, March 11

  • ASU’s USAID projects provided economic benefits to US

    ASU’s USAID projects provided economic benefits to US

    The U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, is among federal agencies undergoing a funding freeze and its work with ASU has stopped. ASU has supported more than 20 USAID projects in the past decade through research, technical support, administrative expertise and staffing. Those efforts have included help from the Fulton Schools in looking at public infrastructure for parks and transportation in El Salvador to consider modifications to help decrease harassment that is common there. The Fulton Schools collaborations with USAID are also lauded as the gold standard for matching public-sector goals and private-sector needs with education-sector abilities to help build workforces and provide investments for the future.

  • President Trump calls for end of CHIPS Act: what does it mean for chipmakers?

    President Trump calls for end of CHIPS Act: what does it mean for chipmakers?

    Billions of dollars have already been promised to U.S. chipmakers to provide the nation’s semiconductor manufacturers the advanced technology necessary to support the growth of the high-tech sector. President Donald Trump has called for halting this effort put in motion by the CHIPS Act, even though it has driven substantial new investments in the U.S. by major companies such as Taiwan Semiconductor. Binil Starly, director of the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, part of the Fulton Schools, and other experts say the value of the CHIPS Act is crucial to realizing the potential for an ongoing upswing in the country’s economy aided by a growing supply of cutting-edge manufacturing systems.

  • Putting health first: ASU experts doing research that improves lives and gets results

    Putting health first: ASU experts doing research that improves lives and gets results

    Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown is Among ASU researchers whose work extends beyond the study of health into applying what is being learned and taught about human health and how to protect it.   Krajmalnik-Brown is a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools and director of the ASU Biodesign Institute’s Center for Health Through Microbiomes. A video that’s part of this article detailing many of ASU’s health and medical research  endeavors includes a video on the work she and her colleagues are doing to improve treatment for people with autism. The video includes James Adams, a professor in the School  for the Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, who is also doing research to improve autism treatment for children. Details of other ASU health and medical research projects are reported in the article.

  • From road coatings to a sweating manikin, these ASU research projects are helping Arizonans keep their cool

    From road coatings to a sweating manikin, these ASU research projects are helping Arizonans keep their cool

    As climate trends trigger rising temperatures and more persistent heat, ASU researchers are working to enable people to remain safe and healthy in such conditions. Among projects are a thermal manikin that can measure the effects of extreme heat on humans so they can design adequate solutions. Leaders of that work include Konrad Rykaczewski, an associate professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy. Other faculty members involved in related projects are Ariane Middel, an assistant professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence and Narayanan Neithalath, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment.

  • Giant chipmaker TSMC to spend $100B to expand chip manufacturing in US, Trump announces

    Giant chipmaker TSMC to spend $100B to expand chip manufacturing in US, Trump announces

    Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., or TSMC, the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer, is poised to invest an additional $100 billion in the United States. That will include significant funding to expand operations at the company’s facilities in the Phoenix area. Plans call for the TSMC Phoenix complex to grow to six fabrication plants. Binil Starly director of the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, part of the Fulton Schools, says the expansion shows investments by U.S. and Arizona state governments in manufacturing infrastructure are paying off. Starly says the next challenge will be providing the large number of skilled workers required by TSMC.

    See also: In ‘major win’ for Arizona, Trump and TSMC announce $100B manufacturing expansion, The Arizona Republic, March 3
    Governor Katie Hobbs said the TSMC announcement “cements Arizona as the epicenter of advanced chip manufacturing and innovation in America.” That achievement, she said, has been aided by university partners, notably ASU.

    Sandra Watson on TSMC’s Historic $100 billion Investment, 3TV Phoenix, March 4
    Arizona Commerce Authority President and CEO Sandra Watson comments on TSMC’s announcement of an additional $100 billion investment in Arizona to build three additional semiconductor fabs and related facilities. 

  • Real AI solutions helping people now

    Real AI solutions helping people now

    A look at how ASU research is paving the way for advances in fast-evolving artificial intelligence, or AI, technology that promise to change the world for the better provides details on a project to improve women’s health care. Research aimed at both protecting and improving women’s cardiovascular health is being lead by Sandeep Gupta, a professor in School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of the  Intelligent Mobile & Pervasive Applications & Communication Technologies Lab. Gupta’s and Fulton Schools Associate Research Professor Ayan Banerjee’s efforts, funded by the National Science Foundation, focus on developing the technology to advance medical treatment options for women.

February

2025
  • Scrubbing The Sky: Inside the Race to Cool the Planet

    Scrubbing The Sky: Inside the Race to Cool the Planet

    In an episode of a new podcast series that focuses on news and views of direct air capture technology, or DAC, which extracts troublesome carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,  Klaus Lackner, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and founding director of ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, is interviewed about the work that has earned him the unofficial title of the Grandfather of DAC. This look at his contributions to the field provides an informative overview of the challenges to ensuring a safe and healthy atmospheric environment.

  • Luminosity Lab Moves From Corporate Problem Solving To Platforming Student Creativity

    Luminosity Lab Moves From Corporate Problem Solving To Platforming Student Creativity

    ASU’s Luminosity Lab has relocated from a Fulton Schools location but at the same time is altering its strategy in ways designed to give students more experience in generating new research ideas. Students involved in the lab’s endeavors have carried out projects with goals that had been defined by the needs of corporations. The change is shifting to an emphasis on formulating research pursuits revolving around achieving progress that would benefit society at large in meaningful ways. Third-year Fulton Schools electrical engineering student Nabiha Ama, who has been on the lab’s team since her freshman year, sees the new direction helping to broaden the range of students’ educational and research experiences.

  • D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton asks DOD to ground VIP helicopter flights near Reagan airport

    D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton asks DOD to ground VIP helicopter flights near Reagan airport

    The Washington District of Columbia’s representative in the U.S. Congress has asked the U.S. defense secretary to stop nonessential VIP helicopter travel in the area. Citing the more than 60 lives lost recently in a collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines flight in the district, D.C. congressional delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton wants the U.S. Department of Defense to halt most of these VIP flights. Travel behavior and transportation policy expert Steven Polzin, a research professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, provides some perspective on exploring viable solutions.

  • Has Progress on Travel Safety Run Off the Road?

    Has Progress on Travel Safety Run Off the Road?

    Travel safety on roadways has typically been a high priority of all levels of government, and many local, state and national programs address travel safety issues. The new U.S. secretary of transportion has pointedly emphasized the issue. Still, progress in maintaining road transportation safety has been not only slow but showing some reversals, writes Steven Polzin, a research professor in the School of School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, whose work focuses on travel behavior and transportation policy. The consequences are often tragic for families and society, Polzin says, declaring that progress will require losing our tolerance of unsafe driver behavior.

  • Artificial Intelligence could be the future of Arizona disaster response

    Artificial Intelligence could be the future of Arizona disaster response

    Paulo Shakarian, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, is working with colleagues and students on software to help Arizona officials make critical decisions in reacting to potential dangers to the public that can result from wildfires, floods and similar rapid growing environmental threats. The team will explore if artificial intelligence, or AI, technology could help in determining what kinds of  threatening chain reactions could be ignited from these and other emergency situations. A recent research grant from the Arizona Board of Regents has already been approved to fund development the new AI software. 

    See also: Arizona Board of Regents supporting AI-powered disaster response efforts, KTAR News, February 17

  • Solar solutions: Bio-inspired approach creates bespoke photovoltaics

    Solar solutions: Bio-inspired approach creates bespoke photovoltaics

    Cornell University researchers have developed photovoltaic panels using a lightweight fabric that wraps around complex shapes and be contorted to better absorb sunlight to provide a versatile component for renewable solar energy generation. Called HelioSkin, it evolved from a collaboration between Cornell Professor Jenny Sabin and Mariana Bertoni, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, who is also a member of the HelioSkin team. They combined computational design, digital fabrication and 3D printing to produce customized filters and photovoltaic panel assemblies. The achievement advances efforts to enable integrated material systems of buildings to act like organisms to respond and adapt to their environments.

  • ASU’s building boom illustrates university’s commitment to keep moving forward

    ASU’s building boom illustrates university’s commitment to keep moving forward

    A building spree by Arizona State University is doing more than benefitting the university community. The projects are also offering multiple benefits and contributions to the state’s economy. Among them is the more than 170,000-square-foot structure that will provide office, meeting, instructional, research and collaboration spaces and be the home of ASU’s new School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, part of the Fulton Schools. Planned for a fall 2025 opening, it will feature additive manufacturing labs, labs for robotics, smart manufacturing, industry automation, cyber manufacturing and operation research, as well as semiconductor manufacturing and manufacturing systems for the energy sector.

  • Chip In For Arizona: Students Compete To Shape The Future of The Semiconductor Industry

    Chip In For Arizona: Students Compete To Shape The Future of The Semiconductor Industry

    Brent Sebold, the Fulton Schools’ director of entrepreneurship and innovation, sees students in any area of academic studies getting valuable opportunities to contribute to Arizona’s emerging semiconductor technology industry ecosystem. The Chip In for Arizona competition, open to students 18 and older enrolled at Arizona’s accredited higher education institutions, is challenging them to create brand narratives to reflect Arizona’s growing stature in the semiconductor industry. The president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council  says the competition offers those in the next generation of technology professionals a chance to both participate and invest in shaping the future of Arizona’s economic growth.

  • Cutting-edge security and defence research collaborations

    Cutting-edge security and defence research collaborations

    Nine new projects to be funded by the Security & Defence PLuS will support research to address critical national security and defense challenges. The organization is part of the PLuS Alliance, a partnership of three leading research universities — the University of New South Wales, King’s College London, and Arizona State University. Project leaders include three Fulton Schools faculty members: Heather Lum, an assistant professor of human systems engineering in The Polytechnic School ; Qijun Hong, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy and Professor; and Katina Michael in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, an expert on socio-ethical implications of emerging technologies with an emphasis on national security.

  • ASU students awarded for hydration device

    ASU students awarded for hydration device

    An ASU start-up, HydroGuard, developed an app that tracks peoples’ physical activities, heart rate, skin temperature and fluid intake to give them real-time feedback on their hydration status. The venture’s team includes biomedical engineering graduate student Saanya Aroura, (at far right in photo) in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, and Asiful Arefeen (second from left in photo), a master’s degree student in computer science with a concentration in biomedical informatics, in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, also part of the Fulton Schools. The team won an ASU College of Health Solutions pitch fest last September for the hydration monitor designed to help prevent the onset of heat-related illnesses.

  • Georgia Tech Research Targets ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water

    Georgia Tech Research Targets ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water

    A multi-university research team that has been discovering membranes capable of removing. harmful “forever chemicals” includes Tiezheng Tong (pictured in an ASU photo), an associate professor of environmental engineering in ASU’s School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. Tong is helping to use advanced machine learning technology to perform membrane separation. The process enables researcher. to get a better understanding of the transport of forever chemicals across nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes, thereby expanding the boundaries of membrane separation science, Tong says. The project is a step to stopping the pollution caused by forever chemicals due to their toxic nature and their presence in water and common products found in most homes.

    See also: Machine learning accelerates discovery of membranes to filter PFAS from waterTech Xplore, February 19
    Researchers Unveil Breakthrough in Understanding Mineral Scaling in Water Desalination
    , CityBuzz, January 23

  • Different ways of thinking, different ways of thriving: How ASU is supporting students with autism

    Different ways of thinking, different ways of thriving: How ASU is supporting students with autism

    The Building Bridges to College and Beyond for Autistic and Neurodivergent Students event — led by the College Autism Network, with sponsorship from Arizona State University — will be at Mesa Community College February 20 and 21. It will spotlight ASU’s programs to help autistic students succeed in college and career pursuits. The Fulton Schools are contributing, with faculty members getting involved in discussion panels and presentations. ASU’s efforts to support students with autism include the Employment Assistance & Social Engagement program, or EASE, Developed by faculty in the Fulton Schools and ASU’s College of Health Solutions, EASE pairs autistic engineering students with peer mentors for training in social engagement, career preparation, technical expertise and skills needed for STEM careers.

  • ASU Interplanetary Lab celebrates 5 years of success

    ASU Interplanetary Lab celebrates 5 years of success

    Much of the success of student projects coming out of the Interplanetary Laboratory since it got started five years ago has stemmed from the pursuits and contributions of Fulton Schools students. A recent event to spotlight accomplishments made in the lab noted work of several ASU engineering students. They included recent graduate Chandler Hutchins, who now has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering and space systems engineer job at Northrop Grumman. Second-year aerospace engineering student Beth McAuliffe says the lab is providing students valuable opportunities to learn and do research in multiple areas of engineering and take on science, engineering and technology projects with business partners from outside the university.

  • ABOR Regents’ Grants boosts AI-powered disaster response efforts to help keep Arizona better prepared

    ABOR Regents’ Grants boosts AI-powered disaster response efforts to help keep Arizona better prepared

    An initiative designed to pave the way for artificial intelligence, or AI, technology to help make disaster response efforts more effective calls for teaming ASU researchers and the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs to harness AI capabilities to enhance disaster response and planning, including identifying emerging threats to public safety and resources so that potential damaging impacts could be averted. ASU experts in technology development would lead efforts to develop advanced technologies capable of achieving the project’s goals. Paulo Shakarian, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, will be one of the co-principal investigators for the project. Shakarian comments about the project in a related Instagram post.

    See also: Arizona Board of Regents supporting AI-powered disaster response efforts, KTAR News, February 17

    Artificial Intelligence could be the future of Arizona disaster response, ABC 15 News, February 21

  • Recycling technology thrives off collective efforts, local experts say

    Recycling technology thrives off collective efforts, local experts say

    Electronic waste is piling up at a rate five times faster than the rate of e-waste recycling. The United Nations Institute for Training and Research has documented that in 2022 more than 62 million tons of e-waste were generated worldwide and forecast that it could exceed 80 million tons by 2030. Improperly discarded e-waste poses threats to the environment and human health. Dwarak Ravikumar, an assistant professor at the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, who researches circular economy solutions to address climate change solutions, talks about potential solutions to the problem and the benefits those solutions could have for businesses and communities.

  • Phoenix Business Journal unveils 2025 Outstanding Women in Business honorees

    Phoenix Business Journal unveils 2025 Outstanding Women in Business honorees

    Fulton Schools Associate Director of People and Talent Ashley Anderson is among the Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business for 2025. Anderson is among 25 executives chosen from more than 280 nominees from industries including real estate, health care, education and nonprofits. At a March 25 event in Phoenix, Anderson and others selected will be honored for their notable business achievements. The honorees will also be featured in special Business Journal print and digital publications. Anderson is part of the ASU Engineering Dean’s Office of Fiscal and Business Administration and has a professional certification credential as a senior-level human resources professional and a master’s degree in business administration from American Intercontinental University.

  • Sandwich-making robot is just one of the many Arizona State University projects advancing AI

    Sandwich-making robot is just one of the many Arizona State University projects advancing AI

    There are concerns about expanding use of the advancing capabilities of artificial intelligence, or AI, technology —including the prediction that AI will do jobs now done by millions of people. But some see AI doing more to help people than to replace them. Faculty and students in School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, are exploring possibilities for AI applications to prepare food for seniors who aging in their own homes, aid people with disabilities and help people communicate more effectively. Ross Maciejewski, the school’s director, says that throughout history new technologies have taken over tasks once done by people, but he sees AI eventually creating more jobs than it eliminates. The report is also on a YouTube video on ABC 15 News Arizona and a KRDO/CNN Regional News report.

  • Protecting national security in a rapidly changing world

    Protecting national security in a rapidly changing world

    ASU’s Global Security Initiative, or GSI, begins its second decade after 10 years contributing to research and education aimed at helping to ensure public and government security throughout the world as the tools and weapons employed by menacing sources continue to advance. GSI Director Nadya Bliss, who is also a professor of practice in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, talks about the growing challenges of geopolitical power competitions and the threats they create. Under her leadership GSI has become a global leader in addressing the complex issues and challenges involved in ensuring global security.

  • The hottest new idea in AI? Chatbots that look like they think

    The hottest new idea in AI? Chatbots that look like they think

    The Chinese start-up company DeepSeek recently became the leading artificial intelligence, or AI, app by developing a free version of a popular AI chatbot that goes into something like a human thought process before providing answers to users. That ability has led to DeepSeek quickly becoming the hot U.S. tech stock and has been prompting leading companies, such as Google and Amazon, to respond with similar AI apps. AI experts such as Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, are assessing the probabilities for how these new models — despite their advances — could still fall short of accuracy and sound reasoning.

  • From sludge to solutions: ASU students collaborate with city of Tempe on water treatment

    From sludge to solutions: ASU students collaborate with city of Tempe on water treatment

    About 40 ASU chemical engineering students got a tour of one of Tempe’s water plant recently to learn how the city is aiding municipalities and communities as they try to implement sustainable operational and environmental solutions for their parks, water treatment and management systems and related facilities. It’s part of a project called Project Cities, designed to engage the university and communities in collaborating to address local quality of life needs. It’s challenging Fulton Schools students to use what they are learning in chemical engineering studies to devise scientifically grounded solutions to solve some challenge the city has faced for years.

  • Sun Devil athletes excel in the classroom

    Sun Devil athletes excel in the classroom

    For an eighth straight semester, 100 or more ASU Sun Devils athletes have earned a perfect 4.0 semester or cumulative grade point average, or GPA. ASU now leads the Big 12 Conference with more than 150 academic All-Americans among the ranks of its student-athletes. Among them is Tiago Behar, a fourth-year undergraduate computer science student in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. Behar, the 2023–24 NCAA Elite 90 Award recipient for men’s swim and dive, also earned an award for a student athlete with the highest cumulative GPA who has reached the finals competition for each of the NCAA’s 90 men’s championships. He plans to pursue a career in cybersecurity.

  • Mentorship propels ASU engineer’s journey from student to staff

    Mentorship propels ASU engineer’s journey from student to staff

    While earning undergraduate and master’s degrees in information technology in the Fulton Schools through ASU’s 4+1 program, Torey Takahashi joined ASU Enterprise Technology, where she is now a full-time staff member contributing to a dynamic digital system through which the ASU community is learning, working and achieving success in their related pursuits. Takahashi collaborates with a team that includes software engineers, systems integration specialists and infrastructure management experts to provide scalable and reliable technology experiences to the community. Takahashi has earned promotions across various positions and now has a role as an orchestration engineer. 

  • Behind the deal: What the loss of KORE Power means for Buckeye

    Behind the deal: What the loss of KORE Power means for Buckeye

    Arizona’s aspirations to be an emerging green technology industry hub had been boosted by the decision of KORE Power Inc., a battery cell developer, to build a lithium-ion battery factory in Buckeye, a town west of Phoenix, to support electric vehicles, energy storage systems and more. The company recently pulled back on its plan, but state and local leaders are still intent on seeing the area become the “Sustainable Valley” to attract other battery industry operations. Candace Chan, a professor of materials science and engineering in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, talks about challenges in gathering the array of high-tech knowledge and skills need to eventually make the effort successful.

  • ASU Students Working To Develop A Sleeve To Counteract Parkisons’ Tremors

    ASU Students Working To Develop A Sleeve To Counteract Parkisons’ Tremors

    An Engineering Projects In Community Service, or EPICS, student team is combining digital signal processing with accelerometer and gyroscope technologies to minimize negative health impacts of Parkinson’s disease — a neurodegenerative condition that causes people to loose muscle control. Fulton Schools electrical engineering student Dylan Levine leads of the Parkinson’s Sleeve development group. The device analyzes tremors and the signal processing send an electrical signal through a specially designed sleeve to the arm to stop the tremor. After work on the prototype, the team will test data and fine-tune the technology, says Jared Schoepf, an associate teaching professor in Engineering Academic & Student Affairs.

  • Expert wants US to arm Philippines with sound cannons to fight China’s gray-zone tactics

    Expert wants US to arm Philippines with sound cannons to fight China’s gray-zone tactics

    China’s coast guard recently deployed a sound cannon in a harassment effort aimed at Philippine vessels in disputed South China Sea waters. The cannons can blast noise loud enough to cause pain and damage hearing. A professor at the University of Hawaii’s School of Pacific and Asian Studies recommended the U.S. provide the Philippines with sound cannons to deter Chinese vessels pushing deeper into the country’s territorial waters. Brad Allenby, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, an expert in the geopolitical implications of emerging technologies, discusses the pros and cons of deploying sound cannons in response to China’s actions.

  • Arizona State University partners with Rajalakshmi Engineering College to expand academic opportunities for Indian students

    Arizona State University partners with Rajalakshmi Engineering College to expand academic opportunities for Indian students

    India is ASU’s largest source of international students — many of whom are Fulton Schools students — which is a driving factor behind a new initiative partnering ASU and India’s Rajalakshmi Engineering College. Designed to help redefine pathways for Indian students’ global education pursuits, the effort will include introducing new undergraduate and master’s degree programs in engineering, computer science, and business and management studies. The college will join the ASU-Cintana Alliance, a global network of progressive universities across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. The alliance will also enable the college to leverage ASU’s extensive resources and collaborative research opportunities while also strengthening ASU’s global presence. The news is also reported in Investing.com’s Stock Market News and in Investment Guru India.com, Illustrated Daily News and The American Bazaar.

    See also: Rajalakshmi Engineering College signs MoU with Arizona State University, USA ,The Hindu, February 12 (access to the article requires a subscription)

    ASU partners with Rajalakshmi Engineering College to cater to Indian students, New India Abroad, February 12

    ASU Expands Educational Horizons in India: A Leap into AI-Enhanced Learning, Devdiscourse (Discourse & Development) February 13

  • Readers beware: AI vacuums up information from the internet and spews it out

    Readers beware: AI vacuums up information from the internet and spews it out

    Search engines are increasingly integrating more tools into their services. Among them are knowledge panels and blurbs excerpted from a search result and provided before the links to web pages. These features use artificial intelligence, of AI, technology that vacuum up information from the internet and other sources and offer answers based on how they are trained to associate words. A complaint about them is that they often remove the user’s judgment from the equation. Paulo Shakarian, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, explains why such features are often not providing relevant and reliable information.

  • ASU spinoff develops new coating that could keep Phoenix roofs up to 40 degrees cooler

    ASU spinoff develops new coating that could keep Phoenix roofs up to 40 degrees cooler

    A new roof coating developed by an ASU spinoff company is continuing to be tested and showing its effectiveness as a moisture and heat barrier and in boosting the lifespans of roofs. Narayanan Neithalath, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, explains what testing is finding that the EnKoat coating system is capable of doing to protect and improve the durability of roofing structures and systems. EnKoat has a controlled microstructure to protect against extreme heat and help cool indoor temperatures in response to various ambient climate conditions. The advances promise to bring significant future progress in strengthening the resilience of many built environments.

  • How huge parts of the US could become uninhabitable within decades — even so-called ‘climate havens’

    How huge parts of the US could become uninhabitable within decades — even so-called ‘climate havens’

    An expanding range of factors is deepening the threat of more serious and widespread climate change impacting the U.S. Recent occurrences such as last summer’s 113 consecutive days of temperatures in Phoenix exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit and fewer than five inches of rain over the past year are among weather and climate trend warning signs. Climate adaptation and infrastructure expert Mikhail Chester, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, says extreme climatic conditions and the problems they cause, including wildfires, are becoming more common and likely to raise growing threatens to habitability, quality of live, community stability and overall prosperity.

January

2025

December

2024
  • 2 ASU faculty elected as fellows to National Academy of Inventors

    2 ASU faculty elected as fellows to National Academy of Inventors

    Advances in carbon sequestration and direct air capture systems are enabling significant progress in removing carbon dioxide, or CO2, from the atmosphere in efforts to stem the detrimental impacts of global warming. Klaus Lackner, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, is among the leading pioneers who have developed and/or enhanced such valuable technologies and systems. The achievement has now earned Lackner election to one of the most prestigious organizations honoring impactful contributions to society.

  • What awaits us in 2025: With Trump in the White House, only uncertainty is certain

    What awaits us in 2025: With Trump in the White House, only uncertainty is certain

    Emerging technologies and geopolitics are among the areas of expertise of Brad Allenby, a Lincoln Professor of Ethics and Engineering and an ASU President’s Professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. In this recent news analysis article, written in the Bosnian language, Allenby is quoted on his view of the limited value of predictions in a rapidly changing world, particularly in regard to current politics in the U.S. He suggests that to better to understand today’s highly complex and rapidly evolving world, one should focus on more stable and predictable underlying trends, and learn to be agile and adaptive amid pervasive, unpredictable and accelerating change.

  • Arizona: America’s New Semiconductor Powerhouse as Tech Giants Invest Big

    Arizona: America’s New Semiconductor Powerhouse as Tech Giants Invest Big

    Arizona is becoming a leading hub for semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S. In a notable shift in the industry, major players such as Intel and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company have been building advanced fabrication plants in the state. Among factors related to the emergence of those projects are Arizona universities and community colleges offering programs to train workers for the semiconductor industry and expand programs in engineering and advanced manufacturing. At ASU, researchers in the Fulton Schools are also engaged in efforts to drive innovation in microelectronics and chip design, including developing new materials, cutting-edge technologies and manufacturing processes and partnering with industry leaders to solve industry challenges.

  • Google, Fiesta Redefined, surfing: Projects to watch in 2025 that will reshape Mesa

    Google, Fiesta Redefined, surfing: Projects to watch in 2025 that will reshape Mesa

    Major developments expected to bolster the economic, community, commercial, cultural and educational features of the city of Mesa in the new year include anticipated outcomes of projects in which ASU is collaborating. Among them is the construction of a large, three-story building on the ASU Polytechnic campus to primarily house operations of the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, a part of the Fulton Schools. The school is expected to contribute to ASU’s efforts to reach it goals to eventually create more than 500 jobs and $800 million in economic activity in Mesa and neighboring municipalities and communities. See a related post below dated December 5 linking to a news article in the Arizona Republic.

  • Arizona Ascends As Cybersecurity Leader Soaring Global Cyber Threats

    Arizona Ascends As Cybersecurity Leader Soaring Global Cyber Threats

    Arizona is emerging as a wellspring of leadership and employment in cybersecurity. With billions of records being breached, there’s a critical need for more advanced data protection capabilities driving demand for a skilled labor force and more advanced training and expertise from leading educational institutions. The growing problem is drawing attention to institutions like ASU, which has a high national ranking for cybersecurity research. Adam Doupé, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of the ASU’s Center for Cybersecurity and Trusted Foundations, has seen his research team win major support to expand its work in pursuit of cybersecurity advances.

  • The E.P.A. Promotes Toxic Fertilizer. 3M Told It of Risks Years Ago.

    The E.P.A. Promotes Toxic Fertilizer. 3M Told It of Risks Years Ago.

    More than two decades ago, research from the 3M company showed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, that sewage sludge, the raw material used for fertilizer, carried toxic “forever chemicals.” Since then, Rolf Halden, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and a leading researcher of contamination in biosolids, met with EPA officials multiple times to warn that his research drew the same conclusion. These sludge materials continued to be used, including by farmers for growing crops. Over the years, however, more concerns were raised about unheeded warnings of the health and environmental dangers. Research by Halden and others eventually helped to lead to wastewater testing to help track the problem and make the case for more precautions.

  • Critics say Trump’s promise to repeal coal-fired power plant rules will hurt climate change fight

    Critics say Trump’s promise to repeal coal-fired power plant rules will hurt climate change fight

    U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump’s plans to reduce government regulatory restrictions on industry include some lifting or preventing of regulations on the operations of power plants. This could mean pulling back on new federal power plant regulations intended to cut back on emissions that contribute to global warming and other industries’ practices that contaminate the atmosphere and spread toxic substances. Klaus Lackner, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, notes that cleaner and cheaper natural gas is helping to reduce harmful carbon emissions problem but that it remains critical to achieve zero emissions of all greenhouse gasses.

  • To cool Phoenix down, researchers are finding ways to grow more trees with less water

    To cool Phoenix down, researchers are finding ways to grow more trees with less water

    ASU and University of Arizona researchers are making progress on more effective and efficient ways to water and grow trees that provide shade to shield much of the state’s desert landscapes from the increasing number of days when temperatures hit 100 or more degrees Fahrenheit. Though not specified in the broadcast interview, contributors to the research include Associate Professor Zhihua Wang and Assistant Professor Tianfang Zhu in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. Wang’s work includes urban climate modeling, land-atmospheric interactions, landscape and infrastructure management, and urban environmental sustainability. Zhu’s research focus includes simulation of groundwater flow and solute transport, uncertainty quantification and applications of machine learning in hydrology.

  • The rise of human-machine teams: Q&A with Jamie Gorman

    The rise of human-machine teams: Q&A with Jamie Gorman

    ASU’S Center for Human, Artificial Intelligence and Robot Teaming, or CHART, part of ASU’s Global Security Initiative, strives to develop ways to make human-machine teams more capable. The center’s director, Jamie Gorman, a professor of human systems engineering in The Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools, helps meld his expertise with that of colleagues in psychology, social science, computer science and robotics to pursue innovations in the performance of these teams. He details why the center’s work holds great promise for serving society, what it’s contributing to student education and research skills, and which of CHART’s biggest challenges he would focus on tackling if the necessary funding is provided.

  • The state of EV sales: More sales, but risks and uncertainties remain

    The state of EV sales: More sales, but risks and uncertainties remain

    A growing number of automobiles in Arizona are electric vehicles, or EVs, with sales having increased significantly in recent years — and one Ford auto dealership in the Phoenix area set a U.S. record for selling more electric vehicles than any other dealership. Still, there remains some reluctance among the public to make the switch to EVs. Steven Polzin, a research professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, recommends car shoppers assess the benefits and potential drawbacks of purchasing new EVs. He and others suggest certain strategies for prospective auto buyers in ensuring their new car purchases turn out to be smart choices.

  • Trump plan to repeal Biden coal-fired power regulations will hamper climate change fight, experts say

    Trump plan to repeal Biden coal-fired power regulations will hamper climate change fight, experts say

    President-elect Donald Trump is indicating he will revoke a recently issued rule to help slow detrimental climate change. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has shown that the annual emissions of greenhouse gasses in the U.S. contain millions of metric tons of the carbon dioxide threatening human health. In the greater Phoenix area these emissions totaled more than 46 million metric tons in 2020. Klaus Lackner, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, which is designing technologies to capture CO2 from outdoor air, explains why it’s critical to dramatically cut back on such emissions.  The article was also published in the Gila Herald.

  • Science and Engineering Departments Converge for Collaborative Research Pursuits

    Science and Engineering Departments Converge for Collaborative Research Pursuits

    Intense pursuits of innovation that require the melding of advanced expertise in numerous fields of science, engineering and technology are reflected in collaborative research projects that are combining the skills of engineers and scientists in ASU’s School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and the School of Earth and Space Exploration. At a recent event to help facilitate these joint efforts, the directors of each of the two schools, Ross Maciejewski and Meenakshi Wadhwa, gave opening remarks about the high aspirations of the faculty members’ research endeavors and the potential of their wide-ranging projects to aid society in numerous ways.

  • They Gave Him a 10% Chance to Live. Now He’s Celebrating 35 Years of Service

    They Gave Him a 10% Chance to Live. Now He’s Celebrating 35 Years of Service

    During his sophomore year of college, a counselor told Tim Clark he wasn’t a good fit for an aerospace engineering path. But after graduating from ASU in 1988 with a degree in the field and in subsequent years overcoming many hurdles, Clark achieved notable success in the aviation profession. Clark is now celebrating a 35-year career that includes more than two decades as a flight test pilot. He guided the Navy’s Tomahawk cruise missile program through critical milestones and became a flight test engineer. The article by the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division details other impressive educational and professional accomplishments, including his training in the prestigious U.S. Naval Pilot School and a master’s degree in aviation systems. 

  • Cybersecurity experts warn of consequences in employee AI use

    Cybersecurity experts warn of consequences in employee AI use

    Growing use of artificial intelligence, or AI, technology promises to improve the quality of the services and work performed by many companies that are using today’s ever-advancing AI systems. But the trend also presents potential dangers for society. Nadya Bliss, executive director of ASU’s Global Security Initiative and a professor of practice in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, talks about risks posed by the many employees now in charge of the accelerating use of AI in business and industry. Misuse of AI or the unintended consequences of AI operations could pose serious security risks of data theft, business operation disruption and other problematic vulnerabilities and damaging consequences.

  • Professor Kaloush elected as chairman of the International Road Federation (IRF Global)

    Professor Kaloush elected as chairman of the International Road Federation (IRF Global)

    Kamil Kaloush (second from left) has been elected chairman of the International Road Federation for a two-year term. A professor and chair of the undergraduate program in civil engineering program in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, Kaloush has more  than 35 years of experience in engineering and is a globally recognized leader in sustainable engineering, pavement materials, and infrastructure systems. In his new role, he hopes to promote cutting-edge research, innovative practices and strategic policy making to address today’s transportation challenges. Kaloush also plans to promote sustainable solutions, embrace emerging technologies, and help to ensure roads and infrastructure worldwide are safer and more resilient.

  • Shortcutting Graduates’ Path To Productivity In Manufacturing And Test

    Shortcutting Graduates’ Path To Productivity In Manufacturing And Test

    Semiconductor companies need new employees who can step readily into roles armed with knowledge and experience necessary to work with the industry’s latest manufacturing tools, analytics and systems. Especially needed are manufacturing, chemical, materials and environmental engineers, as well as those trained in cybersecurity, information technology and software. ASU is graduating many students with expertise in these areas, says Binil Starly, professor and director of the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, part of the Fulton Schools. Many students are also gaining experience in the advanced fabrication techniques that are essential to advancing the semiconductor field and getting extensive lab experience.

  • Arizona State innovation team gifted $21.3 million for 2nd year of microelectronic work

    Arizona State innovation team gifted $21.3 million for 2nd year of microelectronic work

    The Southwest Advanced Prototyping, or SWAP, Hub, which is based in the Fulton Schools, has been awarded more than $21 million to continue its microelectronics operations. The funding from the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act includes $2.7 million for hub’s partner, Sandia National Laboratories. As one of eight such microelectronics groups across the country under the U.S. Department of Defense Microelectronics Commons, the hub helps keep the nation secure by enabling advances in microelectronics. The new funding keeps ASU and the Fulton Schools among leaders in the network that is building the infrastructure, connecting the talent and leveraging the resources to deliver advances for the country’s the semiconductor manufacturing industry.

    Se also: ASU-led hub gets more federal funding for microelectronics projects, Phoenix Business Journal, December 18

    ASU-led SWAP Hub gets $21.3 million to advance semiconductor industry in U.S., KJZZ News (NPR), December 16

    ASU-led Southwest Advanced Prototyping Hub awarded $21.3M for 2nd year of funding for microelectronics projects, ASU News, December 16

    ASU-Led Southwest Advanced Prototyping Hub Awarded $21.3M for Second Year of Funding for Microelectronics Projects, In Business/Greater Phoenix, December 13

  • ASU, Mexico partner to build next generation of chipmakers, drive semiconductor innovation

    ASU, Mexico partner to build next generation of chipmakers, drive semiconductor innovation

    A new course designed by the Fulton Schools and Global Launch will soon give opportunities to college students in Mexico to learn the fundamentals of microelectronics and nanoelectronics in a free, online ASU course. The course is part of ASU’s binational knowledge partnership with Mexico, designed to advance North American competitiveness and ensure the global semiconductor supply chain meets demands for digital security and transformation worldwide. ASU President Michael Crow says he expects hundreds of thousands of students to eventually be educated through the program. Mexico’s Secretary of Education Mario Delgado says the effort will propel a revolution to benefit the technology sector in the U.S. and Mexico.

    See also: ASU, Mexico partner to build next generation of chipmakers, drive semiconductor innovation, Phoenix Business Journal, December 20

  • ASU students use AI to redefine disability representation

    ASU students use AI to redefine disability representation

    Despite that almost 30 percent of adults in the U.S. have a disability of some kind, there’s a lack of inclusive representation of disabled persons in the media. An interdisciplinary group of female ASU Online students is taking up of the challenge to change that situation. They are joining forces to explore how artificial intelligence, or AI, can help map the way to meaningful change toward equality in representation. As Team Fairplay, the group reflects both the diversity and interdisciplinary collaboration encouraged by ASU leaders. The team’s members include Liliana Chen, identified in the article as Yiyan C., an undergraduate computer science student in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools.

  • 2024 President’s Awards honor ASU projects for real-world impact

    2024 President’s Awards honor ASU projects for real-world impact

    The 2004 ASU President’s Award for Global Engagement went to a team including students in the Fulton Schools for their work with students at the Addis Ababa Institute of Technology to reduce the amount of plastic pollution being left in Ethiopia’s Simien Mountains National Park. The project included developing a pipeline using small machines to transform plastic waste into valuable goods to be sold for profit by people living outside the park. The President’s Awards recognize solutions in innovation, social embeddedness, sustainability, global engagement and transdisciplinary collaboration. They also celebrate the commitment and contributions of ASU employees.

  • Detecting Alzheimer’s faster

    Detecting Alzheimer’s faster

    Artificial Intelligence, or AI, technology is certain to have a revolutionary impact on health care, says Baoxin Li, the associate director and a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. Li sees AI impacting the ways in which diseases will be diagnosed and treated. His outlook is confirmed by recent National Health Institute, or NIH, decisions to invest millions of dollars into ventures to use AI to do research on Alzheimer’s disease, including work to better detect the disease and reveal its warning signs. One new NIH grant will support training ASU doctoral students to build medical tools to treat and diagnose neurodegenerative diseases.

  • ASU Chandler Innovation Center supports students, local entrepreneurs

    ASU Chandler Innovation Center supports students, local entrepreneurs

    Fulton Schools mechanical engineering student Jamison Cabral, manufacturing engineering student Morgan Nunez and recent mechanical engineering graduates Payton Connelly and Paige Hasegawa are among ASU students who have benefitted from facilities at the ASU Chandler Innovation Center. The center gives students opportunities for experience in technology and product development, entrepreneurship, 3D printing and fabrication systems and other tools to build prototypes of new devices and tools. Students can get reimbursed for Uber rides from the ASU campuses to the center, work on projects related to their ASU experience, such as class coursework or creations for student clubs or organizations. There are free workshops daily on how to use the center’s equipment.

  • Arizona universities team up to create dash cams for bikes

    Arizona universities team up to create dash cams for bikes

    A new device to help make traveling on roadways safer for bicycle riders is being developed based in part on engineering research conducted at ASU. Robert Heinrichs, an associate teaching professor of software engineering in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, has guided some of his students in creating Cycle Safe. It’s a dash cam for bikes that uses an ultrasonic sensor to detect cars closer than three feet. It can also take photographs and collect data through an app, which will provide information to guide further advances in the technology. The next step to have prototypes to put on bikes for performance trials in early 2025.

    See also: New Camera Tech Hopes to Stop Drivers From Close-Passing Cyclists, Streetsblog USA, December 11

    Arizona universities to develop bicycle dash cam to increase cyclist safety

  • ASU on the cusp of becoming a $1B research university

    ASU on the cusp of becoming a $1B research university

    Innovative approaches to pursuing advances across a wide range of fields and disciplines is among the main reasons ASU is further cementing its place as a major research university. ASU will soon reach $1 billion a year in research funding, putting it among only 33 other U.S. universities to achieve that milestone. The accomplishment is credited to rapid growth in groundbreaking research in engineering, microelectronics, space exploration, health care, national defense and sustainability — much of which is connected to the work of Fulton Schools faculty members. ASU’s faculty also now boasts 11 members of the National Academy of Engineering, most of them leading researchers in their fields.

  • The GPT Era is Already Ending

    The GPT Era is Already Ending

    Open AI, a major artificial intelligence company has a launched a new generative-AI program that its chief executive touts as superior to existing artificial intelligence, or AI, software and able to more fully approximate the way humans think. The outcome could be a significant step toward superintelligence, industry leaders say. Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, says the advance could enable AI to be more clever but does not push it beyond the capabilities of current AI tools to be skillful at making predictions. But along with those added capabilities. He says it raises concerns about humans losing control of the powers of superintelligent AI. (Full access to the article requires becoming a subscriber)

    See also: Kambhampati is also quoted in The Guardian view on AI’s power, limits, and risks: it may require rethinking the technology, The Guardian

  • Could wet winters start to refill Colorado River reservoirs? What researchers are saying

    Could wet winters start to refill Colorado River reservoirs? What researchers are saying

    Recent research indicates that the Colorado River basin could get more precipitation in the next 25 years, which would be a major benefit to regions of the Southwest that depend on the river as a significant source of water. If the increased precipitation leads to higher average river flows — despite effects of rising temperatures due to climate change and other factors — it’s good news for the region’s population and economy. However, Enrique Vivoni, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of ASU’s Center for Hydrologic Innovations, points out some challenges to accurately predicting increases in precipitation and its expected impacts.

  • More-powerful AI is coming. Academia and industry must oversee it — together

    More-powerful AI is coming. Academia and industry must oversee it — together

    The emerging artificial intelligence, or AI, industry is anxious to give its technology human-level intelligence and cognitive abilities. But some researchers and public policymakers are urging caution. As one safeguard, they are recommending scientists in academia and industry collaborate with these companies to guide further AI development in a prudent manner that helps to prevent problematic outcomes. Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, is among those who advises  putting safeguards in place to ensure AI’s reasoning would be reliably coherent and provide verifiable benefits to society without the risks of accompanying detrimental impacts.

  • ASU launches groundbreaking partnership to address water insecurity in Arizona

    ASU launches groundbreaking partnership to address water insecurity in Arizona

    More than 1,000 deaths in Maricopa County in the past two years are attributed to Arizona’s desert heat. In the state overall, people in thousands of households are often more vulnerable hot weather conditions because they are without reliable access to water. In response to the problem, Arizona Water for All has been launched. It is now part of the Arizona Water Initiative partnership with the state of Arizona being led by ASU’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory in collaboration with the Fulton Schools. The partnership will focus on developing innovative engineering and social infrastructures to help Arizonans contend with the challenges of water scarcity, excess heat and other health threatening climate conditions.

  • 20 Graduate Engineering Programs With the Most Women

    20 Graduate Engineering Programs With the Most Women

    In most U.S. universities, women continue to be in the minority among students enrolled in graduate-level engineering degree programs. The numbers, however, have been rising in some of those programs, including those at leading universities of high academic standing. In a recent ranking of the top 20 universities with the highest percentages of women in full-time, part-time, master’s and doctoral engineering programs, the Fulton Schools placed fifth in the nation. Along with its numerous graduate degree programs in person and online, ASU’s Fulton Schools has in recent times been the launching pad for 11 business startups, 178 invention disclosures, 34 license agreements and 106 U.S. patents issued based on ideas from students and researchers.

  • Here’s what we know about ASU’s $185 million expansion at its Polytechnic campus in Mesa

    Here’s what we know about ASU’s $185 million expansion at its Polytechnic campus in Mesa

    A major focus of work on an expansion of ASU’s Polytechnic campus is the development of the Innovation Zone, which will feature the 12th Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building, or ISTB 12, to house the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, part of the Fulton Schools. The 300-acre Innovation Zone is the centerpiece of projects supported by a major investment partnership teaming ASU and the city of Mesa aimed at providing an educated workforce in response to the growing semiconductor chip manufacturing facilities in Arizona and their need for more skilled workers. ISTB 12 is anticipated to open in November 2025. The new building will house multiple classrooms and research labs.

  • Pathways to success: Celebrating ASU transfer graduates this fall

    Pathways to success: Celebrating ASU transfer graduates this fall

    Among the new ASU graduates who came to the university through the MyPath2ASU transfer program are Fulton Schools student Ricardo Ontiveras, who has earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering after transferring from Glendale Community College. His educational pursuits are motivated by a passion for math and science and to have a meaningful impact on society. At ASU, he got involved in the Sun Devil Satellite Laboratory, where he worked on a 1U CubeSat project scheduled to launch in 2025 and a Space Grant ASCEND program project to design and launch scientific payloads into the stratosphere with high-altitude balloons. He now plans to pursue a career using his technical skills to advance space exploration.

  • ASU study uses new biomaterials for wound healing

    ASU study uses new biomaterials for wound healing

    Jordan Yaron, an assistant professor in ASU’s Biodesign Center for Biomaterials Innovation and Translation, is leading work to use engineered substances that interact with living tissues to help boost the human body’s regenerative abilities. In collaboration with ASU colleagues in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport, and Energy, and the School for Biological and Health Systems Engineering, parts of the Fulton Schools, the research is showing promise for healing or treating wounds and injuries — including chronic wounds, such as those resulting from diabetes. The team’s studies show biomaterial formulations engineered to activate histamine receptors can speed up healing and pave the way to address both chronic and slow-healing wounds, and possibly  regenerative medicine to restore or replace damaged tissues and organs.

  • How close is AI to human-level intelligence?

    How close is AI to human-level intelligence?

    Open AI’s advanced large language models, or LLMs — a kind of artificial intelligence that can generate, process and understand human language by being pre-trained on large amounts of data — are raising talk about the possibility of achieving an evolutionary step toward creating artificial general intelligence, or AGI. Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and some of his ASU colleagues are among those whose work is showing promise for realizing the potential for developing AGI through use of LLMs — but also reflecting the intricate challenges of such an endeavor. More than LLM advances alone would be needed to fully realize such an AI advancement, Kambhampati says.

  • When will we hit the tipping point for electric vehicles? This expert says it’s a ways off

    When will we hit the tipping point for electric vehicles? This expert says it’s a ways off

    While the number of electric vehicles in use in Arizona has increased at a steady pace — tripling in the last year and a half — and the U.S. government has been investing hundreds of millions of dollars in efforts to promote electric automobiles, the state is seeing far from a big enough jump in ownership of the electric-powered automobiles to significantly realize their potential as an environmentally beneficial power source. Steven Polzin, a research professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and a former U.S. Department of Transportation researcher, talks about the combination of various factors that appear to be slowing the transition to electric.

  • Why industries are turning to Arizona for cyber security leadership

    Why industries are turning to Arizona for cyber security leadership

    With rising cybersecurity threats, industry and government are frequently seeking out expertise to defend against cyber risks, which has brought more requests for skills found in Arizona’s leading tech companies and top universities. Arizona now ranks among the top 10 fastest-growing job markets for cybersecurity professionals, while its public universities are conducting high-level cybersecurity research. That includes the work of Adam Doupé, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, a hub for advanced cybersecurity research supported by partnerships with the U.S. Department of Defense and major companies. Doupé and his colleagues have helped raise ASU to a ranking of 11 among all U.S. university for cybersecurity research.

  • Improving human health through environmental monitoring and stewardship

    Improving human health through environmental monitoring and stewardship

    Under the leadership of longtime director Rolf Halden, ASU’s Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering has made numerous discoveries of ways environmental monitoring can protect and improve human health. The center’s work has led to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration ban on some harmful antimicrobials, common pesticides and perfluorinated chemicals, which has led to lowering human health risks with new technologies for wastewater and groundwater monitoring. In an interview, Halden, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, talks about his skilled research team and issues revolving around research projects and balancing privacy rights with the need for public health assessments to protect at-risk populations.

  • ASU students using Minecraft to better artificial intelligence

    ASU students using Minecraft to better artificial intelligence

    The popular video game Minecraft is being used as a starting point in a project by ASU students aimed at making artificial intelligence, or AI, more socially intelligent. Nancy Cooke, a professor of human systems engineering in the Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools, says adding human’s social intelligence capability to Minecraft’s ability to enable players to build their own virtual worlds could unlock paths to jumpstarting the social evolution of AI technology.  Cooke and Fulton Schools humans systems engineering doctoral student Myke Cohen say that approach shows promise for enabling AI and humans to become effective team players — a combination that Cooke thinks might evolve into enabling superhuman capabilities.

November

2024
  • Phoenix ranks among Top 5 U.S. cities for vocational jobs

    Phoenix ranks among Top 5 U.S. cities for vocational jobs

    Economic and market forces are combining to produce an emerging trend that has many young job seekers initially pursuing vocational education instead of the deep knowledge provided by advanced college degree programs. Phoenix ranks high among U.S. cities with more students showing growing interest in opportunities to gain practical skills that could qualify them for jobs in relatively short periods of time. The trend is also reflected at ASU, as more students in the Del E. Webb School of Construction, part of the Fulton Schools, are in training to join the next generation of engineers and managers in the rapidly growing construction industry. Meanwhile, employers in some fields are shifting to a more skills-based approach to hiring, signaling a likely resurgence of vocational training and occupations.

  • New NIH-funded program will train ASU students for the future of AI-powered medicine

    New NIH-funded program will train ASU students for the future of AI-powered medicine

    Work by Teresa Wu and Baoxin Li, professors in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, is contributing to the development of artificial intelligence, or AI, systems for medical imaging that can improve the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Their progress has helped to draw support from the National Institutes of Health to train ASU doctoral students in the use of AI in health care as part of broader efforts to educate engineers and biomedical researchers in the applications of AI in their endeavors. Li says the use of AI is promises to revolutionize health care, including how many diseases are diagnosed and treated.

  • Judges Pick 20 Best in Class Project Teams for National Competition

    Judges Pick 20 Best in Class Project Teams for National Competition

    More than 800 projects were entered as contenders for the major engineering and construction industry journal’s national recognition of recent outstanding examples of building design and construction excellence in the U.S. The journal’s judges selected 20 projects as the “ENR Best of the Best” in 10 construction categories. Among the judges was Cliff Schexnayder, emeritus professor in the Del E. Webb School of Construction in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. He and others selected winning projects based on their performance in teamwork, safety, overcoming challenges, innovation and quality. Winning projects will be featured in the March 17, 2025 issue of ENR.

  • 3 Arizona universities partner with ADOT to reduce crashes, solve other transportation issues

    3 Arizona universities partner with ADOT to reduce crashes, solve other transportation issues

    ASU will join Arizona’s two other public universities in a partnership to provide the state with a new generation of transportation experts. In collaboration with the Arizona Department of Transportation, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University will team with ASU to utilize the knowledge and skills of both university researchers and students in efforts to improve that state transportation systems and solve problems. The endeavor will be complex, says Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools. But by capitalizing on the knowledge and experience of multiple experts at the educational institutions, he says the partnership will be poised to develop solutions to wide range of transportation challenges.

  • What To Know About Epilepsy And Seizure First Aid

    What To Know About Epilepsy And Seizure First Aid

    One in 26 people will develop epilepsy and as a result some of them may experience dangerous seizures that can inhibit consciousness and present serious health risks. The Epilepsy Foundation urges the public to learn how to perform proper first aid to help ensure the safety and mitigate the potential problems that can afflict those experiencing these types of seizures. Bradley Greger, associate professor of bioengineering in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, provides some recommendations on what specific actions can be taken to help people in these circumstances, as well warnings about what not to do in such cases.

  • ADOT launches tri-university Arizona Transportation Institute

    ADOT launches tri-university Arizona Transportation Institute

    Researchers at ASU, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University will help lead efforts of the new Arizona Transportation Institute, created to increase the safety, efficiency and sustainability of transportation in the state. The Arizona Department of Transportation, or ADOT, is investing more than $6 million to support the consortium’s first projects. Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools, recently joined representatives of ADOT, the Federal Highway Administration and the other universities’ engineering programs to mark the establishment of the partnership. The new institute provides a structure for proposing and implementing projects, positioning universities to receive more federal transportation-related research dollars, improving transportation engineering outreach and education and boosting workforce development.

    See also: 3 Arizona universities partner with ADOT to reduce crashes, solve other transportation issues, KJZZ, November 25

     Arizona Department of Transportation Taps Into University Talent To Drive Transportation Innovation, hoodline, November 23

  • ASU awarded $100 million to improve the way semiconductors are packaged

    ASU awarded $100 million to improve the way semiconductors are packaged

    In what ASU President Michael Crow says is a critical step for the U.S. to achieve independence in semiconductor manufacturing, the U.S. Department of Commerce has announced an award of up to $100 million in funds to propel innovation in semiconductor packaging. A team led by ASU and Deca Technologies, based in Tempe, has qualified for funding. Fulton Schools leaders and researchers have been collaborating with industry leaders such as the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, or TSMC, company, which is continuing to expand its state-of-the-art facility in Phoenix (pictured). The new funding will be used for research and development to boost commercial development of new technologies, strengthen supply chains and expand workforce development.

    See also: ASU and Deca Technologies selected to lead $100M SHIELD USA project to strengthen U.S. semiconductor packaging capabilities, ASU News, November 21

    ASU and Deca Technologies will lead $100 million semiconductor project, AZ Big Media, November 22

  • Quick Dementia Screening Test Shows Promise for Primary Care

    Quick Dementia Screening Test Shows Promise for Primary Care

    Early detection of Alzheimer’s disease in primary care facilities could improve with a new innovative and inexpensive screening test. The Quick Behavioral Exam to Advance Neuropsychological Screening, or qBEANS, can assess peoples’ motor learning abilities, visuospatial memory and other relevant functions while requiring no technology or wearable sensors. Information on the exam was presented at a recent meeting of the Gerontology Society of America by Sydney Schaefer, an associate professor in the the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools. Shaefer is a co-author of a study of the screening test’s effectiveness and co-founder of Neurosessments LLC, which developed the qBEANS test.

  • Team wins $10M XPRIZE Rainforest competition for novel solution

    Team wins $10M XPRIZE Rainforest competition for novel solution

    Making use of machine learning technology and bio-acoustic recordings, four ASU professors helped to develop an innovative way to measure and quantify biodiversity. The achievement earned them and their teammates the top award in the $10 million XPRIZE Rainforest competition. The professors were part of Team Limelight Rainforest, which included more than three dozen other scientists from around the world. Among them was Pavan Turaga, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of ASU’s School of Arts, Media and Engineering. Turaga provides technical details on how the novel technology was developed and the value of what it could accomplish in protecting the planet’s biologically diverse environments.

  • Northwestern University Takes Top Honors in BIG Idea Lunar Inflatables Challenge

    Northwestern University Takes Top Honors in BIG Idea Lunar Inflatables Challenge

    An ASU student team won the Systems Engineering prize in NASA’s recent 2024 Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-Changing, or BIG,  Idea Challenge, which presents teams with tough engineering design challenges. The ASU squad was awarded for its inflatable lunar landing pad system designed to deflect exhaust gasses from lunar landers to reduce disturbances caused by Moon dust during spacecraft landings. NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate sponsors the challenge managed by the National Institute of Aerospace and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Team presentations, technical papers and digital posters are on the BIG Idea website. Fulton Schools mechanical engineering student Connor Owens and electrical engineering graduate student Sarwan Shah were among the ASU competitors.

  • State, local leaders look to bolster semiconductor job pipeline

    State, local leaders look to bolster semiconductor job pipeline

    The Arizona Commerce Authority is investing $4 million to boost the talent pipeline for the semiconductor industry. The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., or TSMC, is investing more than $5 million in the program to fund on-the-job training and education tuition support for its apprentice employees. TSMC is expanding its extensive manufacturing facilities in the north Phoenix. Terry Alford, professor and associate director of the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, says investments are needed to overcome acute shortages of engineers and technicians needed by industry. Fulton Schools Vice Dean for Research and Innovation Zachary Holman provides an additional perspective on the benefits of such funding.

  • ASU students create groundbreaking ‘sunscreen’ for roofs that lowers energy costs

    ASU students create groundbreaking ‘sunscreen’ for roofs that lowers energy costs

    What’s being called a sunscreen for roofs is showing promise as an effective protectant for structures against excessive heat. Named EnKoat, it was first developed by Matthew Aguayo and Aashay Arora when they were doctoral students in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. The product is now available to contractors in the Southwest and EnKoat’s creators are working on a similar version of EnKoat that keep buildings warm in cold weather environments. Another version of EnKoat for residential buildings is in the works. A previous post below dated November 5 links to an ASU News article about EnKoat. A report is also published in Yahoo!Tech.

    See Also: ASU preservation facility serves as test bed for rooftop heat mitigation, AZ INNO (The Business Journals) November 21

    ASU Graduates Develop Innovative “Sunscreen” Roof Coating To Slash Energy Costs in Arizona, hoodline, November 19

  • Navigating Accents: The Unseen Challenge of ASU’s International Professors

    Navigating Accents: The Unseen Challenge of ASU’s International Professors

    Some ASU professors’ native accents can hinder students learning to learning in the classroom, especially when the subject matter is complex. Some accents pose obstacles to effective teacher-student communications. But Yulia Peet, associate professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, who is originally from Russia, says there are ways such situations can be overcome. It’s a skill that should learned as part of one’s higher education and preparing for careers that involve working with people who speak different languages. It’s also pointed out that professors from various countries can enrich the overall multicultural experience at ASU.

  • Machine Learning Predicts Highest-Risk Groundwater Sites to Improve Water Quality Monitoring

    Machine Learning Predicts Highest-Risk Groundwater Sites to Improve Water Quality Monitoring

    Researchers have used the capabilities of machine learning technology to predict what types of inorganic pollutants are likely in specific groundwater supplies. It could help public health officials determine which aquifers should be prioritized for water quality safety testing. The new method promises to provide a path to advanced proactive water safety measures throughout the world, says Paul Westerhoff an ASU Regents’ Professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. Westerhoff and Andreas Spanias, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computing and Energy Engineering, also part of the Fulton Schools, are coauthors of a report on the process in the Environmental Science & Technology journal.

  • ASU President Michael Crow named to TIME100 Climate list

    ASU President Michael Crow named to TIME100 Climate list

    Michael Crow is the first university president named to the TIME100 Climate list, an honor he says is recognition of ASU’s growing impact. A prime example is how the university has become a powerhouse of progress in climate-related action, including groundbreaking discoveries in sustainability. Among achievements are Cody Friesen’s solar-powered technology that generates water from sunlight and air, Klaus Lackner’s system for direct air capture to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and Bruce Rittmann’s work on a team that developed a new method to help microorganisms destroy “forever chemicals.” Friesen, Lackner and Rittmann are faculty members in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools.

  • Creating Phoenix semiconductor superhub carries risks but huge potential returns, too

    Creating Phoenix semiconductor superhub carries risks but huge potential returns, too

    The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., or TSMC, is making metro Phoenix a major center of the advanced technology industry that will provide significant numbers of new jobs. But development of the company’s expansive facilities are presenting some big challenges that will need to be overcome for its operations to be successful. One hurdle is finding new employees with adequate education and training for positions that need to be filled. So, it’s likely TSMC will look at the Fulton Schools, now the nation’s largest engineering school, for job candidates. Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools, notes the school is producing graduates with the skills to fill high-end positions in the semiconductor industry.

  • ASU preservation facility serves as test bed for rooftop heat mitigation

    ASU preservation facility serves as test bed for rooftop heat mitigation

    A collaborative effort by ASU and the Salt River Project water and power provider is using a new roof coating to reduce heat in several ASU buildings. The heat mitigation coating comes from the ASU spinout venture EnKoat, founded by Aashay Arora and Matthew Arroyo when they were doctoral students in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. A professor in the school, Narayanan Neithalath, recalls that Enkoat started as a way to prevent thermal cracking in types of concrete, but research revealed it could also do that for some of the most common building coating materials. Now, a new IntelliKoat system promises to be an innovative and especially effective method for decarbonizing built environments.

  • Water quality strongly linked to water conservation efforts going forward

    Water quality strongly linked to water conservation efforts going forward

    Along with the challenges of maintaining adequate water supplies, Arizona also faces concerns about ensuring water quality and effective conservation. Treavor Boyer, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, is among the experts whose work focuses on the technologies, planning and processes of developing, managing and monitoring the systems that help maintain and deliver water that is safe for human use. Boyer explains that adequately treating water from a variety of sources requires effective implementation of multiple types of intricate processes, including coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, and filtration followed by disinfection.

  • Rocket science: Students land opportunity to create inflatable lunar pad for NASA

    Rocket science: Students land opportunity to create inflatable lunar pad for NASA

    Fulton Schools students are among those from ASU who will be competing in the next NASA-sponsored Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-changing Idea Challenge. Fulton Schools mechanical engineering student Grant Lesley is the leader of ASU’s project for the challenge. Electrical engineering graduate student Sarwan Shah, mechanical engineering graduate student Vaibhav Khanna and mechanical engineering students Grant Lesley and Connor Owens are among those involved. Opportunities for students who have excelled in the BIG Idea Challenge have included internship offers and job offers. For this year’s challenge, the ASU team has developed a model of an inflatable lunar landing pad at the university’s Luminosity Lab.

  • ‘A thirsty operation’: TSMC plant arrives amid water doubts, but Phoenix isn’t worried

    ‘A thirsty operation’: TSMC plant arrives amid water doubts, but Phoenix isn’t worried

    A sprawling complex of some of the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facilities is growing in north Phoenix as the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company makes progress on expansions of its operations. A major part of the plan is to install water reuse and water recycling systems. Research on semiconductor water treatment led by Paul Westerhoff, the Fulton Chair of Environmental Engineering and professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment,  part of the Fulton Schools, is expected to help enable the facilities to eventually reuse 90% of all wastewater on-site and have the technology to treat it to ultra-pure standards necessary to make the semiconductor chips.

  • Innovative, fast-moving ventures emerge from Mayo Clinic and ASU summer residency program

    Innovative, fast-moving ventures emerge from Mayo Clinic and ASU summer residency program

    Recent projects by a members of Mayo Clinic-ASU research teams have included work to help produce advances in medical care. Progress was made in efforts aimed at improving cancer treatment, including research in which Sung-Min Sohn, an assistant professor in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, collaborated with Dr. Tanya Rath, a Mayo Clinic diagnostic neuroradiologist. They explored ways to use magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, technology to help image throat disorders in ways that would make diagnosis more accurate, as well as achieve progress in the ability to provide care for cancer patients at risk of losing their voices. Another project could help ASU baseball players and other young athletes reduce the need for shoulder and elbow surgeries for baseball pitchers.

  • DEF CON Academy looks to serve, build community

    DEF CON Academy looks to serve, build community

    Those seeking to sharpen their computing skills will have a new opportunity to learn from leading experts. The new DEF CON Academy will be in the spotlight at next year’s DEF CON convention, an annual gathering of researchers and other professionals in computer programming and cybersecurity. Among the academy’s organizers are faculty and staff at ASU’s Global Security Initiative, supported by the initiative’s American Cybersecurity Education Institute, which provides education nationwide to bolster the U.S. cybersecurity workforce. Among those at the helm of these efforts are faculty members in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, including Yan Shoshitaishvili, Adam Doupé and Tiffany Bao, who are associated with the Center for Cybersecurity and Trusted Foundations.

October

2024
  • ASU Carbon Summit displays sustainability leadership, collaboration and … electric motorcycles

    ASU Carbon Summit displays sustainability leadership, collaboration and … electric motorcycles

    ASU’s second annual Carbon Summit was led by the Carbon Council student organization, which focuses on promoting decarbonization — one of the major processes being utilized to reduce and prevent the detrimental impacts of climate change. Sandra Perez, a materials science and engineering student in the School of Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, and a cofounder and the president of the Carbon Council, says one of the group’s major goals is to engage more ASU students earning degrees in a wide variety of fields to unite in pursuit of the group’s mission to enable ASU to contribute to helping the world achieve environmental sustainability.

  • Arizona State and EPIXC joint projects aimed at reducing CO2 emissions

    Arizona State and EPIXC joint projects aimed at reducing CO2 emissions

    Industrial operations in the U.S. are emitting about 30 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to harmful amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Among efforts to help decarbonize the nation’s industries are those of the Electrified Processes for Industry Without Carbon, or EPIXC, project directed by Professor Sridhar Seetharaman, the Fulton Schools vice dean for research and innovation. In this interview, he discusses projects involving ASU researchers working jointly with experts at three other universities to decarbonize cement, steel and iron to achieve significant greenhouse gas reductions. Seetharama is also a faculy member in the in the School of Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools.

  • ASU develops software for device aimed at protecting cyclists

    ASU develops software for device aimed at protecting cyclists

    Arizona has had rules setting standards for safe bicycling on its roads for more than two decades, but safety experts and the state’s bicycling community continue taking steps to further ensure riders take adequate safety precautions. Among more recent steps is a foundation project that encouraged college engineering students to design prototypes of new safety devices. Robert Heinrichs, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton schools, helped to lead a project that developed of a second version of software for an intelligent bicycle dashcam. The team is now preparing to bring its new safety devices to the market in the next year.

  • Barrett student Tatum McMillan traveled the world with support from Jaap Sustainability Scholarship

    Barrett student Tatum McMillan traveled the world with support from Jaap Sustainability Scholarship

    Tatum McMillan’s pursuit of a career as a biomedical engineer has taken her to three continents. Engineering projects in Europe, Asia and Africa have put McMillan on course toward fulfilling a mission to help sustain people, animals and the planet. To support those efforts, she earned the Jaap Sustainability Scholarship offered to students in ASU’s Barrett Honors College to fund summer internships and thesis projects. The funding helped her participate in a coral reef restoration project in Spain, a Vietnam Monkey Enrichment Project in Vietnam and a Clean Water Accessibility Project in Kenya. McMillan is a senior in the biomedical engineering program in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools.

  • This ASU professor is trying to get robots to do your laundry

    This ASU professor is trying to get robots to do your laundry

    Among advances being achieved in robotics are those that replicate what some TV fiction shows have already long portrayed robots as being able to do —  the day-to-day chores that people would like someone or something else to do for them. Siddharth Srivastava, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. With assistance from students, Srivastava is attempting to program robots to do peoples’ laundry, an endeavor being funded by the National Science Foundation. Srivastava notes that robots today perform well in controlled environments, such as factories. The goal of his research is to enable robots to perform reliably in uncontrolled environments. Read more: Dirty, dull or dangerous: Using AI to teach robots to do the jobs we don’t want

  • The real reason billion-dollar disasters like Hurricane Helene are growing more common

    The real reason billion-dollar disasters like Hurricane Helene are growing more common

    More evidence that actions to deal with climate change and its potentially devastating impacts are not a challenge that can be ignored without dire consequences, according to the meteorological data that scientists, engineers continue and others to compile. Margaret Garcia, an assistant professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment,  part of the Fulton Schools, is a coauthor of a recent National Climate Assessment that shows the severity of disasters ignited by the consequences of global warming and other factors related to climate change. Rising risks presented by fast-changing climate conditions include extreme heat, severe drought, water shortages, more wildfires, loss or productive farmland and fiercer hurricanes. (A subscription may be necessary to access the article online.)

  • Researchers make concerning findings about the way extreme heat impacts us: ‘This is a clear call for targeted policy interventions’

    Researchers make concerning findings about the way extreme heat impacts us: ‘This is a clear call for targeted policy interventions’

    A study by researchers at ASU, the University of Washington and the University of Texas at Austin accentuates the extent to which the trend toward more extreme heat is impacting society in people’s everyday lives, especially in large urban areas. The research project led by Professor Ram Pendyala, director of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, provides suggestions for solutions to guide policymakers in taking actions to ensure urban planning and public transit systems are designed to help cities provide more heat-resilient urban environments. Ideas include more trees for shade, heat-reflective pavement materials and adjustable work schedules.

    See also: Researchers make concerning findings about the way extreme heat impacts us: ‘This is a clear call for targeted policy interventions’, TCD-The Cool Down, October 24

  • Meet 3 ASU cybersecurity researchers advancing a more secure future

    Meet 3 ASU cybersecurity researchers advancing a more secure future

    A world of increasingly complex, sophisticated and powerful technologies increases the need for advances in cybersecurity to prevent exposure to threats that misuse of progress in the high-tech realm can present. Among ASU researchers working to help ensure protection from such dangers are faculty members in the ASU’s Global Security Initiative’s Center for Cybersecurity and Trusted Foundations. The center’s team includes Muslum Ozgur Ozmen, an assistant professor at the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. Ozmen’s work involves studies of the Internet of Things and cyber-physical system security for those systems that use physical sensors or devices to transmit information or control processes.

  • Wiley, Fulton Schools of Engineering collaborate to develop AI tutor

    Wiley, Fulton Schools of Engineering collaborate to develop AI tutor

    Ryan Meuth, an assistant teaching professor in the  School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of Fulton Schools is partnering with the Wiley company, which focuses on academic publishing and instructional materials, to provide a new tutor powered by artificial intelligence, or AI, technology. It’s being designed to aid students in their work on online computer sciences labs. The goal is not for the AI tutor to provide answers to students but instead provide help putting them back on track to overcoming obstacles and challenges. The next phase of the study will assess the effectiveness of the AI tutor in helping student successfully complete their lab assignments.

     

  • Arizona companies building tech to reduce carbon emissions

    Arizona companies building tech to reduce carbon emissions

    CarbonCapture Inc. is building as large manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona, to produce systems to remove carbon dioxide, or CO2, from the atmosphere. The technology is essential U.S. efforts to develop a clean energy economy and reduce the environmentally harmful greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. The U.S. Department of Energy seeks to enable 100% carbon pollution-free electricity and net-zero emissions within the next 25 years. The ASU Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, directed by Klaus Lackner, a professor in the Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, is leading work to help meet those goals. (The article originally appeared in Cronkite News: Arizona companies building tech to reduce carbon emissions, October 22.)

  • California’s first carbon capture project gets OK from Kern County

    California’s first carbon capture project gets OK from Kern County

    Use of direct air capture technology is seen as one of the more promising ways to take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to help limit global warming and avoid the dire consequences of climate change. Recently reported advances in the technology may enable it to be more effective in cooling the Earth by enhancing its abilities to sequester atmospheric carbon, says Klaus Lackner, a professor in the Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions. Lackner explains what’s needed to deploy carbon capture systems at sufficiently effective levels. (A subscription or one-time access pass may be required to access the article.) The article is also published in the Tucson Sentinel.

    See also: Yellow powder said key to capturing carbon dioxide from atmosphere, Los Angeles Times/Arkansas Democrat Gazette, October 27

  • Progress on biometric data privacy too slow, incomplete, say experts

    Progress on biometric data privacy too slow, incomplete, say experts

    As the use of artificial intelligence, or AI, technology is accelerating, enabling the use of deepfakes and other manufactured false images to perpetrate such misdeeds as identify theft and similar falsifications, experts are calling for actions to prevent these types of deceptions. Katina Michael, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, whose research focuses on the socioethical implications of emerging technologies, is among those calling for an international biometric bill of rights to deal with the problem. Protections that enable consumers to take legal action when they believe their data has been misused are needed, Michael says.

  • Professor awarded prestigious DOE Early Career Award

    Professor awarded prestigious DOE Early Career Award

    The U.S. Department of Energy wants researchers who will expand the boundaries of science and engineering to help provide the country the most advanced energy sources and systems. Eileen Seo, an assistant professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, and researcher in ASU’s Biodesign Center for Sustainable Macromolecular Materials and Manufacturing, is among those contributing to these efforts. Her work involves tapping into the ability of new materials that respond to changes in their environment. That ability could enable integrating nanotechnology with sustainable polymer design to produce next-generation energy conversion using light-mediated processes, part of a larger goal to develop sustainable, self-repairing materials.

  • Cybersecurity and Digitalization: A Cautionary Tale

    Cybersecurity and Digitalization: A Cautionary Tale

    With the use of advanced digitalization expanding to more operations across a range of industries — especially in the manufacturing sector and related major tech-based businesses — reliable cybersecurity systems are becoming essential to the ability of companies to operate in safe digital environments. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security reports cybersecurity threats to critical infrastructure pose one of the greatest strategic risks for the country. The School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, now has a $4.5 million grant from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to establish an institute to develop national and global cybersecurity educational standards and curriculum.

  • How to Prevent Another Europa Clipper Transistor Panic

    How to Prevent Another Europa Clipper Transistor Panic

    NASA has successfully launched the Europa Clipper. The largest spacecraft the agency has ever built for a planetary mission is now on a multi-year journey to Europa, one of Jupiter’s largest moons, and loaded with equipment to study its potential to support life. The mission had been in doubt after researchers found some of the Europa Clipper’s transistors would fail under Jupiter’s extreme radiation levels. But the mission is in motion, due in part to progress on efforts involving Hugh Barnaby, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools. Barnaby has been helping to maximize radiation monitoring to mitigate its problematic effects.

  • Stephanie Forrest’s unique integration of computation, biology and health

    Stephanie Forrest’s unique integration of computation, biology and health

    Bridging skills in biology and computation is producing knowledge to help provide solutions in numerous science and engineering endeavors. Stephanie Forrest’s team at ASU’s Biodesign Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society is tackling challenges including modeling of immunological processes and evolutionary diseases, cybersecurity, software engineering and evolutionary computation. A professor of computer science in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Futon Schools, Forrest describes efforts to detect and mount defenses against malicious behavior across a wide range of complex systems to help thwart threats from malware, misinformation and similar ways of posing myriad dangers to society.

  • Study shows impact of extreme heat on everyday lives

    Study shows impact of extreme heat on everyday lives

    Studies are showing the recent long stretches of hotter than normal temperatures in desert locales such as the greater Phoenix are having widespread and significant impacts on peoples’ daily lives. Irfan Batur, a research assistant professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Futon Schools, describes how the extreme heat is causing people to cut back on use of public transit, do less shopping and socializing, and spend more time working at home and sleeping. Researchers says the extreme heat trends should motivate cities and communities to take steps to help people cope with the long stretches of sizzling temperatures.

  • Hospital hit by Hurricane Milton gets system to grab water from air

    Hospital hit by Hurricane Milton gets system to grab water from air

    A children’s hospital in Florida hit by the recent powerful and destructive Hurricane Milton was able to maintain access to water with a system that can capture moisture from the air. Contributions to the development of such water harvesting systems have been made by ASU researchers in recent years. Paul Westerhoff, an ASU Regents Professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, is among the ASU engineering researchers who have been contributing to progress in developing tools, techniques and systems to produce water from atmospheric moisture, which could help to provide water accessibility during disasters. (Access to the article requires creating a New Scientist account.)

  • Findings from an ASU study show how extreme heat impacts daily lives

    Findings from an ASU study show how extreme heat impacts daily lives

    As Phoenix and other cities break seasonal heat records, research is showing the extensive impacts the sizzling temperatures related to many societal activities and trends. A study by ASU, University of Washington and University of Texas researchers reports on how prolonged hots streaks are altering behavior in travel — particularly downturns in use of public transportation and overall travel — and putting a burden on low-income populations with limited resources. The situation is exacerbating inequalities, says Professor Ram Pendyala, director of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Futon Schools, who leads the ASU research team. Irfan Batur, a research assistant professor in the school stresses that extreme heat is becoming a major public health challenge.

  • ASU-developed SolarSPELL libraries deployed to help communities in Arizona

    ASU-developed SolarSPELL libraries deployed to help communities in Arizona

    One of the solar-powered devices now being used by Hopi health care workers and crisis responders sprung from Laura Hosman challenging students to create a solar-power library that could fit into a backpack. The associate professor in The Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools, and ASU’s School for the Future of Innovation in Society, is now is now the founder of the Solar Powered Educational Learning Library, or SolarSPELL. The SolarSPELL team has trained patient navigators with Hopi Cancer Support Services and an ASU doctoral student helped by providing more additional information and leading training sessions. SolarSPELL student workers are helping to further develop and curate the library content. 

  • Nearly every household in America has a car. Here’s how to break free.

    Nearly every household in America has a car. Here’s how to break free.

    When it comes to transportation, the freedom and flexibility of having one’s own vehicle is unrivaled, says Steven Polzin, a research professor at Arizona State University’s School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Futon Schools. Still, there’s a trend of among some families toward slightly reversing the trend of one car for each adult. Polzin and others see an embrace of one-car and car-free lifestyles. But among factors preventing such a change are public environments that don’t make it easy for people to forsake personal car ownership. Professor Ram Pendyala, director of the school, says an impactful shift away from personal motorized vehicles will require more investment and policies that enhance public and nonmotorized transportation options.  

    See also: Imagining Peak Car — Can We Live Without The Private Automobile? Clean Technica, October 11

  • ASU-led initiative announces first decarbonization projects for US industry

    ASU-led initiative announces first decarbonization projects for US industry

    Fulton Schools researchers are aiding efforts by the U.S. Department of Energy to provide cost-effective, electrified alternatives for industrial process heating. Narayanan Neithalath, Fulton Professor of Structural Materials in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment,  is leading work to reduce the amount of environmentally harmful carbon dioxide emissions in the production of cement. ASU Regents Professor Vijay Vittal in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering aims to decrease those emissions from iron and steel production. The projects support the national Electrified Processes for Industry Without Carbon initiative to cut back on industrial greenhouse gas emissions.

  • ASU researchers tap AI to help people see more clearly

    ASU researchers tap AI to help people see more clearly

    Myopic macular degeneration, which causes vision loss and sometimes blindness, is on the rise. Among those leading research to seek solutions is a team in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. Yalin Wang, a professor of computer science and engineering in the school, and his fellow researchers are looking at recent technological innovations to help find remedies. Their research is focusing on the use of artificial intelligence, or AI. As AI-powered technology advances and becomes more available, Wang sees it enabling more progress. Ross Maciejewski, the school’s director, says Wang’s work is an important example of new work using AI to address medical challenges.

    See also: How AI could protect millions of people from vision loss, earth.com
    AI Innovations in Diagnosing Myopic Maculopathy, labroots
    AI to improve Myopic Maculopathy, MSN
    AI to Improve Myopic Maculopathy, AZoRobotics
    Using advanced AI screening tools to improve detection of early myopic maculopathy, News Medical
    Researchers use AI to help people see more clearly, Medical Express

  • ASU expert: Why construction is a great career field

    ASU expert: Why construction is a great career field

    Men in hard hats swinging hammers. It’s an image from the past that reflected a widespread perception of what the construction industry involved: low-skilled physical labor. That picture has since changed dramatically, writes Eminent Scholar Timothy Becker, chair of the construction engineering and construction management programs in the Del E. Webb School of Construction in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. Becker says the field today includes experts in robotics, data analysis, autonomous vehicles, electronics design and many related high-tech fields — all part of a thriving U.S. construction industry that added 235,000 jobs in the past year.

    See also: My View: How technology, diversity help tear down the construction industry, Phoenix Business Journal, October 10

  • ASU study shows extreme heat’s impact on society

    ASU study shows extreme heat’s impact on society

    As Arizona experiences a summer of record-breaking desert heat, researchers in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, are continuing to report more findings about a multitude of ways extreme heat impacts many aspects of peoples’ lives and influences their behavior and choices in significant ways. Professor Ram Pendyala, the school’s director, emphasizes how the heat curtails shopping, recreational activities and general socialization in communities and more seriously impacts lower-income populations. These and other issues should prompt cities and growing urban areas to take steps to shield people from unavoidable and prolonged exposure to summer heat, Pendyala says.

    See also: How Heat Waves Are Rewriting Urban Routines, E+E Leader (Environmental Energy Leader), October 2
    How extreme heat changes our daily lives and travel habits, Knowridge, September 28

  • World War II, dry weather and Motorola positioned Arizona for semiconductor success

    World War II, dry weather and Motorola positioned Arizona for semiconductor success

    Arizona’s emergence as a leading center in today’s booming semiconductor industry has been shaped by many factors over past decades — among them the founding, growth and expansion of ASU and the increasing numbers of engineering graduates it provided for growing companies such as Motorola and Intel. Michael Kozicki, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, points out that ASU’s focus on engineering excellence, especially since the 1980s, has helped to attract tech businesses and produce talent to fuel the success of such companies as Microchip Technology and NXP Semiconductors and to draw the booming Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to the Phoenix area. The state now plays a leading role in the global microchip industry.

  • Vietnam primed to welcome global semiconductor, AI firms: minister

    Vietnam primed to welcome global semiconductor, AI firms: minister

    Vietnam is among countries the U.S. has chosen to join its International Technology Security and Innovation Fund, which has goals aligning with aims of U.S CHIPS and Science Act to provide workforce training for semiconductor and AI industries. Efforts involve the U.S. Department of State and ASU launching a program in Vietnam to train more than 4,000 engineers in packaging and testing integrated circuits in 2025. ASU signed an MOU with Vietnam last year to support the workforce development strategy. Jeffrey Goss, ASU’s associate vice provost for Southeast Asia affairs and executive director of the Office of Global Outreach and Extended Education for the Fulton Schools is part of the advisory team for the project.

  • Honeywell Aerospace opens innovation hub at ASU’s Tempe campus

    Honeywell Aerospace opens innovation hub at ASU’s Tempe campus

    In collaboration with the Fulton Schools, Honeywell Aerospace Technologies has opened a 30,000-square-foot facility on ASU’s Tempe campus as an innovation hub designed to help prepare students for careers in the aerospace industry. Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools, says the hub will help to bridge academia and industry, giving students insights into the aerospace technology business and opportunities to make connections that can position them for careers in aerospace engineering. ASU is also partnering with semiconductor companies to develop curriculum to help students prepare to work in that booming industry.

    See also: Honeywell launches ‘innovation hub’ at ASU’s Tempe campus, Tempe Independent, October 1

September

2024
  • Extreme heat impacts our daily routines and transportation

    Extreme heat impacts our daily routines and transportation

    Researchers at ASU have collaborated with colleagues at the University of Washington and the University of Texas on a study that reveals in detail how the trend of more frequent extreme heat is negatively impacting the quality of life. They study also provides insights about how communities and individuals can effectively adapt to rising temperatures. The study’s lead author, Ram Pendyala, professor and director of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, emphasizes how extreme heat exacerbates inequities in mobility and participation in activity travel. This study explores ways people can adjust and change their activity-travel and time use behaviors to better cope with extreme heat.

    See also: Climate Crisis: How is Extreme Heat Reshaping Travel and Daily Life of Vulnerable Communities? The Weather Channel/The Times of India, September 27.
    Extreme heat altering travel plans, people’s daily routines worldwide, India Today, September 28
    Ram Pendyala is quoted on results of research showing the needs for strategies to maintain quality of life being threated by increasing extreme heat. A similar article is published on the Prevention Web site.

  • 32 weird ways to fight climate change that just might work

    32 weird ways to fight climate change that just might work

    An extensive look at a variety of ways that scientists and engineers are  proposing as effective ways to combat the threatening impacts of climate change include new technology developed through work led by  Fulton Schools Professor Klaus Lackner, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions. A forest of mechanical trees that can employ carbon-capture technology could significantly reduce harmful carbon dioxide in the atmosphere more quickly than natural trees can. The first mechanical tree was erected and instead on ASU’s Tempe campus in 2002.

  • New ASU research shows swimwear is a surprising source of microplastics

    New ASU research shows swimwear is a surprising source of microplastics

    A recent research study in the Water Emerging Contaminants & Nanoplastics reports on findings of a significant spike in concentrations of microplastic fibers after human activity in the Salt River. Some of the microplastic fibers came from synthetic plastics fibers in peoples’ swimsuits. ASU researchers are exploring ways to keep microplastics out of places where they contribute to environmental pollution — including polyester and polyamide synthetic fibers such as those in swimwear fabrics. Matthew Fraser, a professor in School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, is a co-author of the study. The nearly 200-mile-long Salt River runs through Arizona’s Gila and Maricopa counties and is the Gila River’s largest tributary.

  • Finding a Fix for Playgrounds That Are Too Hot to Touch

    Finding a Fix for Playgrounds That Are Too Hot to Touch

    A summer in which a record-breaking number of days with daytime temperatures of 100-plus degrees is emphasizing the need for communities to finds way to protect children at public recreational facilities from scorching summer heat. In direct sunlight the surfaces of playground equipment can heat to temperatures above 150 degrees. Ariane Middel, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, a part of the Fulton Schools, and a researcher in ASU’s Urban Climate Research Center and director of the SHaDE Lab, is among those seeking ways to help protect people from the increase in the frequency and severity of extreme heat , particularly in outdoor urban environments. Pouya Shaeri, a Fulton Schools computer science doctoral student is assisting in the research.

  • How an Arizona recycling plant is working to keep old solar panels out of landfills

    How an Arizona recycling plant is working to keep old solar panels out of landfills

    Use of solar energy as an alternative to energy sources that produce air pollution and environmentally harmful greenhouse gasses is on the rise. But along with that clean-energy trend, about 90 percent of the hundreds of millions of solar panels being installed throughout the U.S. are ending up in landfills at the end of their productive life cycles. Those solar panels pose a threat to the environment because of toxic contaminants that can leach into soil from various materials in the panels. Nick Rolston and Meng Tao, professors in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, provide details about work being done in ASU’s MacroTechnology Works lab to help remedy the problem.

  • ASU takes top spot in innovation for 10th year in a row

    ASU takes top spot in innovation for 10th year in a row

    ASU continues an impressive streak in the U.S News & World Report Magazine’s annual rankings of the most innovative universities in the U.S., due in large part to its engineering programs. In the most recent rankings, the Fulton Schools came in at 13th nationally in environmental and environmental health engineering, 16th in civil engineering, 17th for industrial manufacturing, 18th for cybersecurity computer science education, 19th in the electronics and electronics communications engineering, as well as in artificial intelligence computer science in the engineering category and 35th overall for its undergraduate engineering program. These ranking helped to once again bring ASU the No. 1 spot overall in the “Best Colleges” rankings of the most innovative U.S. universities.

  • Extreme heat impacts daily routines and travel patterns, study finds

    Extreme heat impacts daily routines and travel patterns, study finds

    Fulton Schools researchers teamed with colleagues at the University of Washington and University of Texas at Austin for an extensive study of the impacts of extreme heat on human activity and mobility. The study makes a case for an urgent need to develop public policy to formulate strategies and guide actions needed to deal with rising temperatures and more frequent heat waves. The report is based on research led by Ram Pendyala, director of the School of School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. The team includes two of the school’s professors, Mikhail Chester and Steven Polzin, research assistant professor Irfan Batur and doctoral student Victor O. Alhassan.

  • This company changed semiconductor manufacturing forever. And it’s about to open for business in Arizona

    This company changed semiconductor manufacturing forever. And it’s about to open for business in Arizona

    Much of the capabilities of the modern technologies that are driving the success of many of today’s high-tech industries and bolstering national economies are a result of advanced microchip manufacturing. It’s why the island nation of Taiwan is vital to many larger countries such as the U.S., and Arizona specifically. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., or TSMC, Taiwan’s leading industrial giant, is erecting a massive complex in Arizona that will include the company’s most advanced technology in the U.S. Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools, comments on how such expansions have also been motivating the U.S. to maintain its share of the semiconductor manufacturing market.

    See also:
    Diary of the deal: Years of courtship, pivotal helicopter ride brought TSMC to Phoenix
    Arizona Republic, September 30. Kyle Squires comments on how the stage is set for the greater Phoenix area to be part of the semiconductor industry boom.

    An ‘inviting place’: How Arizona emerged as a leader in the US semiconductor revival
    Arizona Republic, September 25. Kyle Squires estimates that most of the 33,000 students enrolled  in the Fulton Schools would qualify for careers in the semiconductor industry.

    Arizona’s semiconductor industry: What to know about the booming field
    Arizona Republic, September 24. The high demand for engineers, including Fulton Schools graduates.

  • Bottled water contains harmful contaminants, experts warn. Here are safer ways to hydrate.

    Bottled water contains harmful contaminants, experts warn. Here are safer ways to hydrate.

    Warnings about the risks of drinking water from plastic containers were recently voices in an article in the BMJ Global Health Journal. The authors say water in plastic bottles can expose people to toxins and recommend instead drinking clean tap water from reliably tested sources.  Some brands of bottled water can contain amounts of tiny nanoplastics that could bring on inflammation and changes in metabolism, including in the brain and reproductive systems, that could threaten human health,” says Rolf Halden, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools,  and director of ASU’s Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering. He and other experts point to the challenges in ensuring safe sources of water.

    See also: Health experts issue warning to anyone drinking out of plastic water bottle, Mirror, September 20
    Rolf Halden is quoted in the report.

  • Bidstrup Foundation and Barrett Research Undergraduate Fellowship supports honors student research with faculty

    Bidstrup Foundation and Barrett Research Undergraduate Fellowship supports honors student research with faculty

    Ayomide Laguda and Jayden Lynch are ASU honors students who have earned support from the Bidstrup Foundation and Barrett Research Undergraduate Fellowship program to do research related to their aspirations as future engineers. Laguda, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, is focused on setting up software for simulating models of gene regulatory network dynamics, which involves genes interacting to control cell function. Jayden Lynch, studying to earn a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering, is doing research with Anca Delgado, an associate professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. The project is focused on the properties of soil on Mars and its possible uses for future missions to the planet.

  • Subbarao Kambhampati: AI Professor at Arizona State University

    Subbarao Kambhampati: AI Professor at Arizona State University

    In its latest list of the 100 most important people who have been contributing to significant technological progress and innovations in areas of analytics, artificial intelligence, data science and big data, the magazine features Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. In his more the three decades at ASU, Kambhampati has become a prominent and accomplished innovator in artificial intelligence, or AI, research, and a leading chronicler of AI’s societal impacts. He has served as president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, a trustee of the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence and is a founding board member of the Partnership on AI.

  • Tim Silverman Likes Breaking Things— and That Is Good for Photovoltaic Reliability

    Tim Silverman Likes Breaking Things— and That Is Good for Photovoltaic Reliability

    Tim Silverman, one of the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s 2024 distinguished research staff members, says he gained valuable knowledge from years of breaking apart machines and various other devices. With what he learned from those curiosity-driven activities, along with knowledge gained in earning a degree in mechanical engineering from the Fulton Schools, Silverman is now 14 years into a career testing devices for the prominent government lab. Now a senior scientist for the lab, he was one of its first two researchers to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The award recognized a significant contribution to solar energy. He has since continued to contribute to advances in photovoltaics and other energy-related fields.

  • OpenAI o1 Likely Uses RL over Chains of Thought to Build System 2 LLMs

    OpenAI o1 Likely Uses RL over Chains of Thought to Build System 2 LLMs

    In what’s been seen as a potentially substantial leap in artificial intelligence, or AI, technology, two new AI models are capable of reasoning by using what are termed chain of thoughts and reasoning tokens. It opens the possibility that smaller AI models can achieve effective reasoning capabilities. The new models use what is called reinforcement learning over auto-generated chains of thought, says Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. Kambhampati also points out one possible drawback — that these models could make it difficult to check the reasoning behind the solutions they generate.

  • 5 microelectronics projects win nearly $30M in federal funding

    5 microelectronics projects win nearly $30M in federal funding

    New ASU Southwest Advanced Prototyping Hub projects will be accelerating the capabilities of U.S. manufacturers to produce the logic chip technologies that process data enabling computing systems and other modern electronic devices and systems to perform effectively. ASU researchers, including Fulton Schools faculty, will have leading roles in five of the projects. Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools and CEO of the prototyping hub, says Fulton Schools students will be among talented future members of a growing workforce with the research and engineering skills that will help to make the nation’s investments in chip technology innovation pursuits successful and boost many industries, especially manufacturing, in the U.S., as well as strengthen the nation’s overall economy.

    See also: Tempe, Phoenix mayors show support at ASU for $29.6M federal microelectronics award
    Tempe Daily Independent, September 19
    In a report on the Southwest Advanced Prototyping Hub’s collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense to accelerate microelectronic technologies development and production to aid national security, Fulton Schools Dean Kyles Squires expresses confidence in the effort to to reestablish U.S. dominance in semiconductor research, development and manufacturing. (Access to the article requires establishing an account.)

  • Better Living Through Algae Biotechnology

    Better Living Through Algae Biotechnology

    Solutions to some of humanity’s sustainability challenges could be developed from what’s being learned about unicellular aquatic organisms. Scientists are looking, for instance, at how the abilities of algae might provide a starting point for developing ways to ensure better food production and water treatments and useful organic compounds. Peter Lammers, a research professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and with ASU’s Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation, notes how these organisms can help to produce complex proteins and carbohydrates that could improve ecological protection by treating wastewater and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, among other similar potential environmental benefits.

  • 3 ASU faculty named 2024 President’s Professors

    3 ASU faculty named 2024 President’s Professors

    One of the top honors for ASU faculty members, the President’s Professor award, recognizes innovation in teaching, the ability to inspire students to do original and creative work, demonstrating a mastery subject matter and making notable scholarly contributions to higher education. Among ASU faculty members recently chosen to join the ranks of President’s Professors is Teresa Wu, a faculty member and associated dean of global engagement in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. Wu teaches in the industrial engineering program. Among her professional accomplishments have been earning a National Science Foundation CAREER award and being founding co-director of ASU-Mayo Center for Innovative Imaging.

  • World’s Biggest Carbon Absorbing Plant Opens In Iceland

    World’s Biggest Carbon Absorbing Plant Opens In Iceland

    The world’s new largest carbon capture plant, named Mammoth, doesn’t bring the world significantly closer to reducing the carbon dioxide emissions threatening the planet’s environment by contributing to global warming. But the faciility in Iceland is a notable as a step in the right direction, says Klaus Lackner, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions.  Mammoth is many times larger than other such facilities and can absorb almost 40,000 tons of carbon from the air each year. A carbon capture plant being built in Texas by a US-based company is expected to remove 500,000 tons of carbon annually.

  • After Software Engineers, LLMs Are Coming After AI Researchers

    After Software Engineers, LLMs Are Coming After AI Researchers

    There are reports that Large Language Models, or LLMs, are now generating new research ideas and then also writing the required code, doing the necessary experiments, summarizing research results, visualizing related data and providing scientific manuscripts reporting on research results. Those claims are questioned by Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and a past president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. He points to cases of LLMs showing poor reasoning and planning abilities and struggling with deducing new facts from existing information. The article is also published in Startup News.

     

     

  • Major Science Building Project Tops Out at ASU

    Major Science Building Project Tops Out at ASU

    Facilities at ASU’s Polytechnic campus continue to be expanded. The latest new construction milestone is the Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 12, or ISTB 12.  The more than 173,000-square foot complex will house an array of educational and research spaces and facilities, primarily for the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, part of the Fulton Schools. Tim Smith, ASU’s facilities development and management interim vice president, and Carlos Diaz, project director for McCarthy Building Companies, say ISTB12 will also showcase high-quality building materials and advanced construction techniques and propel the advancement of the sophisticated technologies to benefit students, faculty members and researchers.

  • 20 Years of Academic Excellence

    20 Years of Academic Excellence

    In the past two decades the Department of Homeland Security Centers for Excellence — coalitions led by U.S. colleges or universities in partnership with other institutions — have been addressing national challenges posed by terrorism, cybercrime, food insecurity and climate change, among other international threats. The centers have brought together some of the nation’s leading scholars and researchers to contribute to solutions. Among them has been Ross Maciejewski, the Ira A. Fulton Professor of Computer Science and director of the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, as well as director of ASU’s Center for Accelerating Operational Efficiency. Maciejewski talks about his path toward leading a DHC Center of Excellence.

  • Cybersecurity team including students, faculty from ASU wins $2 million in international contest

    Cybersecurity team including students, faculty from ASU wins $2 million in international contest

    ASU students are part of the Shellphish cybersecurity team that is among winners of a recent AI Cyber Challenge semifinal hacking competition — earning the team $2 million and entry into next year’s DEF CON, the world’s largest hacking competition. Adam Doupé, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of ASU’s Center for Cybersecurity and Trusted Foundations, leads Shellphish, which includes members from Purdue University and the University of California, Santa Barbara. For the competition, the team developed an automated tool that checks computer programs for vulnerabilities.

    See also: ASU Hackers Win $2 Million At ‘AI” Competition, Fox 10 News Phoenix, September 6

  • Arizona State partners with semiconductor companies to boost job training

    Arizona State partners with semiconductor companies to boost job training

    Fulton Schools semiconductor packaging courses drew about 40 students each semester about five years ago. Today, with the continuing growth of the semiconductor industry, the numbers of students in those courses have jumped to more than 200 every semester. Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools, points to the schools’ effort to spark the interest of students in the field’s expanding career opportunities. That effort has now been bolstered by a $40 million grant from the federal government to ASU to fund creating a regional network for microelectronics education. With course content shaped in collaboration with industry, Squires says courses will prepare students to work in a range of roles in the fast-emerging industry.

  • Phoenix’s streak of over 100-degree temperatures reaches 100th day

    Phoenix’s streak of over 100-degree temperatures reaches 100th day

    Phoenix and neighboring municipalities have seen more than 100 days of high temperatures of more than 100 degrees — with more likely to come before the seasonal transition to fall sets in. It’s been deemed an alarming benchmark in the trend toward more extreme head in area by Ariane Middel, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, a part of the Fulton Schools, and researcher in ASU’s Urban Climate Research Center. Middel says the trend is signaling an urgent need for regions across the U.S. for a heightened awareness of the dangers posed by the sizzling temperatures. She points to diseases and illnesses that can result from prolonged heat exposure. The report is also posted on the ABC News website.

    See also: Workers Want Flexible Heat Standard as OSHA Eyes Trigger Temp, Bloomberg Law, September 3
    Ariane Middel comments on a U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposal to dictate when employers must implement measures to protect workers.

    Phoenix’s streak of over 100-degree temperatures reaches 100th day, WSJM News September 3

  • Using AI to teach robots to do the jobs we don’t want

    Using AI to teach robots to do the jobs we don’t want

    Amid fears that artificial intelligence, or AI, technology will replace humans in the workforce, pushing people out of their jobs, AI experts such as Siddharth Srivastava are saying computer scientists should be emphasizing that AI can free people from mundane work they don’t want to do and give people freedom to pursue more creative contributions to society. Srivastava, an  associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence and director of ASU’s Autonomous Agents and Intelligent Robots Lab, has his research team focused on helping to develop a new type of AI-enhanced technology to help bring about a more innovative and collaborative working relationship with humans.

  • Navigating uncharted waters: ASU drives solutions for water resilience

    Navigating uncharted waters: ASU drives solutions for water resilience

    A series of articles exploring how ASU is changing ways problems are solved in the world today looks at research pursuits, projects, programs and initiatives focusing on solutions to water challenges. The Fulton Schools and ASU’s College of Global Futures are training students to be future water leaders, including teaching them transdisciplinary approaches to water problem-solving. Paul Westerhoff, an ASU Regents Professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment , part of the Fulton Schools, leader of the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative’s Global Center for Water Technology has hosted the first Atmospheric Water Harvesting Summit at ASU and introduced students to advanced technologies for water augmentation, conservation, treatment and reuse.

August

2024
  • Something’s Poisoning America’s Land. Farmers Fear ‘Forever’ Chemicals.

    Something’s Poisoning America’s Land. Farmers Fear ‘Forever’ Chemicals.

    High levels of toxic substances spread for decades across farmlands have come from fertilizers made from urban sewage. It has helped take sludge out of landfills, is rich in nutrients and its use has been encouraged by the federal government. But now there’s suspicion these chemicals are in crops, are sickening or killing livestock and threatening farmers’ health. Rolf Halden, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of ASU’s Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, is among experts who assess the situation and risks and challenges it presents.

  • ‘We’re going back:’ Undocumented youth face more barriers to reach their potential with DACA in limbo

    ‘We’re going back:’ Undocumented youth face more barriers to reach their potential with DACA in limbo

    The U.S. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, policy, enacted in 2012, calls for temporary delays in deportation for some undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children. It allows migrant youth to legally drive, travel, study and work in the U.S. But some undocumented youths have continued to encounter barriers DACA was intended to prevent. Dulce Matuz, who as an undocumented immigrant earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Fulton Schools in 2009, says such students are still facing the same challenges today as they have in the past. Matuz’s advocacy for undocumented students was a prominent theme of a popular documentary film.

  • ASU’s Interplanetary Initiative adds three new pilot projects that will champion innovative concepts for societal impact

    ASU’s Interplanetary Initiative adds three new pilot projects that will champion innovative concepts for societal impact

    An ASU initiative is driving innovation by providing seed funding to advance discoveries and technological innovation that paves the way for humans’ interplanetary future through science and engineering progress that is also benefiting society today. Among promising contributors to that progress is Oswald Chong, an associate professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, who leads the Lunar Minimum Viable Infrastructure pilot project team in its efforts to develop systems for establishing and sustaining human presence on the Moon. This and other projects bring together faculty from ASU and other universities, industry experts, government professionals and undergraduate and graduate students.

  • What is Stopping Devs from Building an LLM?

    What is Stopping Devs from Building an LLM?

    Large language models, or LLMs, large deep learning models that provide vast amounts of data and generate human language text, still face a big challenge because of the vast number of languages across the world, most of which have no text data. The problem is that this makes it difficult to gain certainty that the output of LLMs is producing verifiable factual knowledge, says Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. A recent research paper offers an LLM trustworthiness evaluation framework that could help offer a solution. The article links to the podcast Kamhampati did on Machine Learning Street Talk, “Do you think that ChatGPT can reason?”

  • Water main break leads to road closures, damage to homes in Tempe neighborhood

    Water main break leads to road closures, damage to homes in Tempe neighborhood

    Even relatively small breaks in water lines can cause serious damage, as demonstrated by a recent pipeline leak in a neighborhood that created a muddy mess and resulted in extensive damage. Such incidents reveal the challenges for municipalities and utility operations to keep pace on maintenance and upgrades, says Professor Samuel Ariaratnam, construction engineering program chair in the Del E. Webb School of Construction in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. Factors such as the age of piping and its structural resilience  — or the lack of it — need to be regularly assessed to adequately monitor water delivery systems for deterioration and potential breaks, Ariaratnam says.

  • Rising heat is scorching Americans – and our infrastructure

    Rising heat is scorching Americans – and our infrastructure

    Extreme heat isn’t a more serious challenge only for U.S. Sun Belt cites anymore. Cities in regions with typically cooler climates are now seeing temperatures increase more severely than in the past. The problem will have more dramatic impacts in those once more temperate regions because infrastructure in those areas isn’t designed to withstand the rising heat, says Mikhail Chester, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. But an equally big threat from heat exposure is to people, he adds. Chester advocates for both more resilient infrastructure systems and also those that can diminish the consequences when heat leads to the failure of those systems.

  • 7 Arizona women competed against 41 teams from 18 countries in a robosub competition. They beat them all.

    7 Arizona women competed against 41 teams from 18 countries in a robosub competition. They beat them all.

    Three recent graduates of the Fulton Schools’ Engineering (Robotics) bachelor’s degree program — Jaqueline Villanueva Castro, Paulina Garibay and Litzi Matancillas — along with computer science undergraduate student Nancy Esquivel Vazquez, were the members of a team that won the championship title in the 27th International Robosub Competition. Their team, Desert WAVE, or Women in Autonomous Vehicle Engineering, competed with two autonomous underwater robots named Dragon and Baby Dragon. Castro was on the ASU electrical team led by Garibay. Matancillas, lead the mechanical team.

     

  • Don’t believe what you hear: ASU professor weighs in on voice cloning technology

    Don’t believe what you hear: ASU professor weighs in on voice cloning technology

    Perpetrators of identity theft, misinformation dissemination and perhaps even election fraud have a new tool that could enable their deceptive acts: advanced voice cloning technology. Academic, industry and government experts recently took part in a U.S. National Security Council discussion about the potential misuses of voice cloning. Professor Visar Berisha, Fulton Schools associate dean of research and commercialization, took part in the meeting. Berisha leads a team that was a winner of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s Voice Cloning Challenge. The team includes Daniel Bliss, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools.

  • America Has a Hot-Steel Problem

    America Has a Hot-Steel Problem

    Climate change and the heat it is generating is putting public infrastructure at risk of deterioration and failure. Roads, power lines, railways and batteries are among things threatened by the risk excessive heat poses for the steel, concrete and asphalt and other materials from which with many technologies and systems are made. Mikhail Chester, a professor in School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment and director of ASU’s Metis Center for Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering, says engineers are capable of redesigning infrastructure to withstand higher temperatures, but the costs would be high and keeping up with the mounting effects of climate change would be especially challenging.

  • ASU researchers help to control cancer-causing poison in corn

    ASU researchers help to control cancer-causing poison in corn

    Biological design doctoral student Hannah Glesener in ASU’s School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, is lead author of a new study introducing X-ray irradiation as a method of sterilizing contaminated corn that will neutralize a cancer causing poison. It raises hope for solutions to mycotoxin contamination, particularly in developing countries where food safety measures are limited. It could also provide ways to detoxify food before its absorption into the bloodstream. Glesener is graduate research assistant in the Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes, directed by Rosa Krajmalnik Brown, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools.

    See also: Researchers look to control aflatoxin in corn, FeedStrategy, August 16

  • Costa Rica newly buoyant on local microchips industry prospects

    Costa Rica newly buoyant on local microchips industry prospects

    As the U.S. works to boost the semiconductor industry throughout the Americas to reduce reliance on east Asia, Costa Rica has stepped up to aid the effort to support the U.S. semiconductor value chain by helping to reshape the global supply chain. Costa Rica offers an attractive lure for enhancing semiconductor assembly, testing and packaging capabilities in the Americas, says Jeff Goss, who leads ASU’s Engineering Online graduate degree programs for the Fulton Schools, as well as Global Outreach and Extended Education and executive and professional development programs.

  • Advancing super materials: 2 ASU professors honored as Navrotsky Professors of Materials Research

    Advancing super materials: 2 ASU professors honored as Navrotsky Professors of Materials Research

    Research leading to advances in the manufacturing and synthesis of semiconductor technologies and next-generation applications in quantum information, energy conversion and chemical engineering processes has earned a Navortsky Professor of Materials Research position for Seth Tongay, a professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools. The professorship provides support to expand career pursuits. Christina Birkel, an associate professor in ASU’s School of Molecular Sciences, also earned the professorship named after Regents Professor Alexandra Novrotsky in the School of Molecular Sciences, director of the Navrotsky Eyring Center for Materials of the Universe and a Fulton Schools faculty member.

  • ‘In the Phoenix area, we are in violation of ozone standards’: ASU studying ways to improve ozone in the Valley

    ‘In the Phoenix area, we are in violation of ozone standards’: ASU studying ways to improve ozone in the Valley

    Researchers are seeking better ways to control air pollutants — including those in the Phoenix area where the ozone layer is among the more serious atmospheric threats to human health. So says the American Lung Association, which has ranked the city as the fifth most ozone-polluted metro area in the U.S. Solutions are now being sought by ASU researchers, including urban air quality and pollution control expert Matthew Fraser, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. He’s teaming with Professor Peter Herkes in ASU’s School of Molecular Sciences and two ASU doctoral students to investigate possible solutions. See a related earlier report on this page dated July 24.

  • This ASU lab brings the energy

    This ASU lab brings the energy

    Helping to bring more of the world’s population reliable access to clean, safe, resilient and affordable sources of energy is the mission of the Laboratory for Energy And Power Solutions. Director Nathan Johnson, an associate professor in  The Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools, says fulfilling that goal is a significant way ASU can go beyond education and research to providing impactful public value. Among its efforts, the lab is working to provide better energy access to remote communities, make advances in using microgrids for electrification to replace unreliable energy sources and supporting countries in transitioning to clean energy sources to help develop productive and environmentally healthier low-carbon and zero-carbon businesses and economies.

  • Why Arizona has fewer blackouts than other hot states

    Why Arizona has fewer blackouts than other hot states

    Widespread power blackouts pose potentially severe public health and safety risks, as well as serious drawbacks for various communities, businesses and services of all kinds. Arizona has experienced a number of serious blackouts in the recent past, particularly due to its extreme desert heat. But the state overall has remained well below the national average in the frequency of power grid outages. In this news podcast, Nathan Johnson, director of the Laboratory for Energy And Power Solutions. and an associate professor in  The Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools, and others talk about the kinds of climate goals the state needs to meet to sustain reliable defenses against blackouts and their  consequences into the future.

  • What Works in Taiwan Doesn’t Always in Arizona, a Chipmaking Giant Learns

    What Works in Taiwan Doesn’t Always in Arizona, a Chipmaking Giant Learns

    Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC, one of the world’s major makers of advanced computer chips modeled the large plant it built near Phoenix after its manufacturing facilities in Taiwan. TSMC is now finding some challenges as the company’s leadership and its American workers are experiencing friction arising from culture clashes over business practices and management and employee relationships. ASU has been a major source of TSMC employees in Arizona, says Zachary Holman, vice dean of Research and Innovation in ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, noting that the company funds research projects for students as a way to assess potential future workers.

  • ISTB12 project at ASU’s Polytechnic campus reaches topping out construction milestone

    ISTB12 project at ASU’s Polytechnic campus reaches topping out construction milestone

    Work is on track for the planned opening next year of ASU’s Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 12, which will set the stage for a major expansion of the university’s Polytechnic campus and provide a dedicated hub for the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, part of the Fulton Schools. ISTB 12’s features will include research labs and instructional and collaboration spaces to support education in semiconductor manufacturing, additive manufacturing, robotics for smart manufacturing and industry automation, cyber manufacturing and operations research, as well as manufacturing systems for the energy sector. The project is also part of a master plan that includes developing an Innovation Research District adjacent to the campus.

  • 2 ASU students awarded prestigious Department of Defense scholarship for STEM majors

    2 ASU students awarded prestigious Department of Defense scholarship for STEM majors

    Alan Dupre, who recently graduated from ASU with degrees in mechanical engineering, global health and physics with honors from ASU’s Barrett, The Honors College, has  been awarded a scholarship from the U.S. Department of Defense. Dupre, a graduate student in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, says the scholarship will give him experience in both research and engineering roles that will prepare him to support national defense missions. This summer Dupre got a preview of his future with the defense department in a visit to Washington, D.C., where he will be working in a division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center.

  • Wait … Did OpenAI Just Solve ‘Jagged Intelligence’?

    Wait … Did OpenAI Just Solve ‘Jagged Intelligence’?

    OpenAI is now using constrained decoding, a technique that may help  keep artificial intelligence technology from making mistakes by helping to ensure there is consistent data generation when it is attempting  provide complete and accurate information. In one recent attempt at clear reasoning, things got murky in relation to Jagged Intelligence, a term used to define the struggle that AI’s Large Language Models, or LLMs, have in dealing with dumb problems. Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, explains that LLMs are impressive tools but there remain challenges that need to be addressed regarding the efficacy of LLM-based AI Agents.

  • Running Through Paris Heat

    Running Through Paris Heat

    Since a century ago, when summer Olympic Games were last held in Paris before this year’s games, summer days with hot  temperatures are now three times more frequent in the city. That jump in temperatures is enough to put significant physical stress on athletes, especially those competing in endurance events. Ariane Middel, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, a part of the Fulton Schools and director of the SHaDE Lab, talks about ways to reduce the debilitating impacts of physical exertion in hotter climates. She is co-author of a detailed study on heat stress and its impact on runners. (Middel is mistakenly identified in the article as a faculty member at the University of Arizona.)

  • Teaching AI about social intelligence through Minecraft

    Teaching AI about social intelligence through Minecraft

    Using a popular video game, two Fulton Schools faculty members have helped to generate a large publicly available human-AI research dataset that could make artificial intelligence technology capable of humanlike understanding. In ASU’s Center for Human, Artificial Intelligence, and Robot Teaming researchers used the Minecraft game to design complex and dynamic tasks in a simulated urban search and rescue mission — such as a fire sweeping through a small town. In doing so they’ve discovered clues to how to create machines with social intelligence. The project team members include Nancy Cooke and Jamie Gorman, professors of human systems engineering in in The Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools.

  • Video showing human-like tiger shows dangers in social media posts

    Video showing human-like tiger shows dangers in social media posts

    Its looks just too weird to be true. That’s one clue casting doubt on a recent video posted on TikTok and seen by at least a million viewers that reported a tiger at the Phoenix Zoo was shot for being too human-like. Imperfections in the video make it relatively easy to discern as a fake, says Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. But he cautions that other videos being made with more advanced artificial intelligence, or AI, technology, than that used in the zoo tiger video are going to make it more difficult to discern real from false video images in the future.

  • Icy body bags and mobile coolers: Here’s what it takes now to survive outside in America’s hottest city

    Icy body bags and mobile coolers: Here’s what it takes now to survive outside in America’s hottest city

    Two extensive recent news articles report on rising sizzling temperatures and the severe dangers they pose to human and environmental health. There’s a focus on the greater Phoenix area as a region where heat is increasingly threatening livability for large populations. Among researchers working to understand heat, its impacts and how to reduce it are Ariane Middel and Jennifer Vanos, faculty members, respectively, in ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools and Engineering and the School of Sustainability. Both are with ASU’s Urban Climate Research Center, where solutions are being sought to reduce vulnerability to dangerous heat in both urban communities and ecosystems across the world. See also: Too hot even for cactuses” Phoenix offers taste of heat’s dangers, NZZ (Switzerland)

  • High school interns take on cybersecurity research at ASU

    High school interns take on cybersecurity research at ASU

    ASU’s Center for Cybersecurity and Trusted Foundations‘ summer program partners high school students with graduate student mentors from the center and the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, for collaborative research projects on campus. This summer, 23 high school students from the Phoenix area took part in an eight-week cybersecurity research internship guided by ASU students, including Fulton Schools computer science doctoral students Syed Navid and Ananta Soneji. More than more than 100 students competed to participate in the internship in the center directed by Adam Doupé, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence. One high school student said the internship enabled him to see how research can make important impacts on society.

July

2024
  • Saving lives from an invisible killer

    Saving lives from an invisible killer

    It’s being called an invisible weather disaster. It’s extreme heat and it’s leading to more deaths than those resulting from floods, hurricanes and tornadoes — with Arizona’s Maricopa County seeing a steep jump in heat-related fatalities. The growing threat is motivating researchers to address the problem, among them Ariane Middel, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence and director of the SHaDE Lab, and Konrad Rykaczewski, an associate professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy. Both schools are parts of the Fulton Schools and both faculty members have developed technology to gain knowledge about extreme heat and find more effective ways to protect people from its dangers. 

  • ASU scientists unveil MaRTy Weather Research Tool

    ASU scientists unveil MaRTy Weather Research Tool

    A mobile biometeorological station that measures outdoor heat radiation is a major tool being used by ASU researchers in multiple studies on the impacts of hot environments on human health. Konrad Rykaszewski, an associate professor of mechanical engineering in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, and Jennifer Vanos, an associate professor in the School of Sustainability, are among those employing the technolgy named MaRTy in efforts to finds ways to help project people from increasingly hotter environments.

  • Hackers race to win millions in contest to thwart cyberattacks with AI

    Hackers race to win millions in contest to thwart cyberattacks with AI

    As part of efforts to mount defenses against cyberattacks that would threaten critical national infrastructure and security, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is sponsoring a two-year hackathon contest offering a large monetary prize for writing programs that can scan millions of lines of open-source code to help identify security flaws and fix them. Teams from Arizona State University, the University of California at Santa Barbara and Purdue University recently gathered to begin taking on the challenge. One of the advisors is Yan Shoshitaishvili, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, whose expertise includes cybersecurity research and vulnerability detection techniques.

  • Professor recognized with prestigious award for mathematical excellence

    Professor recognized with prestigious award for mathematical excellence

    Zilin Jiang, an assistant professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and a team of Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers were awarded the prestigious Delbert Ray Fulkerson Prize. The award, presented at the recent International Symposium on Mathematical Programming, recognizes outstanding research papers in discrete mathematics, including graph theory, networks, mathematical programming, applied combinatorics and applications of discrete mathematics to computer science and related subjects. The paper was published in the Annals of Mathematics. Jiang also holds a joint faculty position in ASU’s School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences

  • TEDI-London celebrates inaugural graduation

    TEDI-London celebrates inaugural graduation

    King’s College London has held its first graduation of students from The Engineering & Design Institute London, or TEDI-London, an international partner of the Fulton Schools and Australia’s University of New South Wales Sydney. TEDI students completed studies for a Global Design Engineering bachelor’s degree and many are expected to advance to a Global Design Engineering integrated master’s degree program. TEDI-London has about 120 students enrolled in its programs focusing on engineering education through practical, project-based learning and industry ties. ASU played a role in launching the Institute in 2021 as part of efforts to accelerate the Fulton Schools’ engineering expertise across multiple global academic partnerships.

  • ASU study on natural emissions impacting ozone pollution

    ASU study on natural emissions impacting ozone pollution

    Arizona’s extreme desert heat may be causing vegetation to release more emissions into the atmosphere and worsening ozone pollution. ASU researchers are examining the situation. Matthew Fraser, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and an expert in urban air quality, air pollution control and atmospheric monitoring instruments, says unique interactions between vegetation and desert environments may be triggering the problem. The plan is to place sensors and other instruments in various Phoenix area locations to provide data for devising solutions to the problem. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is helping to fund the project.

  • Reducing potable water use with greywater reuse in standalone handwashing stations

    Reducing potable water use with greywater reuse in standalone handwashing stations

    Water conservation is increasing critical as a growing world boosts demand for the vital resource. A big step toward solutions would be more ways to reuse so-called greywater that’s already been used to wash laundry or dishes or for similar uses. One promising solution is being worked on by Zachary Bogart, an environmental engineering graduate student researcher in the the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. Paul Westerhoff, an ASU Regents’ Professor in the school and director of the Global Center for Water Technology, part of the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative, says Bogart’s project is a prime example of the water recycling that would help prevent future shortages.

  • How the West Valley evolved into hotbed for innovation and growth

    How the West Valley evolved into hotbed for innovation and growth

    Long a suburban outpost of the greater Phoenix area, the town of Buckeye and the rest of the West Valley area have emerged as a wellspring of urban and economic growth. Along with residential and commercial development, the area is becoming a beacon of innovation. That trend includes the opening of three new schools at ASU’s West Valley campus, including the School of Integrated Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools. Shawn Jordan, the school’s interim director, says students’ engineering studies will give them the skills to have an impact on the West Valley communities. Sintra Hoffman, president and CEO of WESTMARC, a partnership of 15 West Valley communities, says the new school is aligning its programs with the area’s workforce development strategy.

  • New Cold War: ‘Russia can target any target in Europe’

    New Cold War: ‘Russia can target any target in Europe’

    Russia already has all of Europe within range of its missiles. Now the deployment of Russia’s weaponry can be expected to increase with the announcement that the U.S. plans to bring some its missiles to Germany in coming years. The move by Russia is not an imminent threat but primarily to send a forceful message about its preparedness to engage in future miliary conflict, says Brad Allenby, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, whose expertise includes geopolitics and the implications of emerging military and security technologies. The move by Russia is not a surprise given the country’s expansionist plans, Allenby adds.

  • These tried-and-true tips will help you stay cool on a hot day

    These tried-and-true tips will help you stay cool on a hot day

    Some places get so hot in the summer that governments issue heatstroke alerts. But experts such as Ariane Middel say sometimes simple acts like using an umbrella for shade can help keep people safe from extreme heat. Middel, an urban climatologist and associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and author of the report “50 Grades of Shade,” says cooling towels, squirt misters or a good soaking in cool water can also provide effective protection against very hot environments. Middel gives further advice on beating the heat in other recent news reports:
    12 News-Phoenix
    Those neighborhoods get really, really hot: Phoenix’s heat island is no paradise
    ABC 15 Arizona
    Sizzling sidewalks, unshaded playgrounds pose risk for surface burns over searing Southwest summer
    ABC News
    Is air conditioning enough? Why extreme heat can still put you at risk

  • As Phoenix Becomes a Semiconductor Boomtown, ASU Runs to Keep Up

    As Phoenix Becomes a Semiconductor Boomtown, ASU Runs to Keep Up

    Arizona State University is poised to play a major role in the growth of the semiconductor industry. The U.S. CHIPS and Science Act provides billions of dollars in grants to companies such as Intel and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company as incentives that will open the door for ASU to supply much of the engineering and technical workforce for these companies’ major operations in the Arizona. Workforce recruitment efforts include support to prepare students for leading roles in evolving semiconductor research and development efforts, primarily through programs in the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks and the School of Integrated Engineering, both part of the Fulton Schools.

  • Arizona is part of federal plan to modernize the U.S. power grid before it can’t meet demand

    Arizona is part of federal plan to modernize the U.S. power grid before it can’t meet demand

    Arizona is one of over 20 states participating in the Biden Administration’s Federal-State Modern Grid Deployment Initiative to modernize the U.S. energy grid. Nathan Johnson, an associate professor in The Polytechnic School, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, discusses the need for grid modernization due to aging infrastructure and rising energy demands from electrification and data centers. Modernization efforts should encompass generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption, utilizing diverse energy sources and innovations. Challenges include expanding transmission capacity, accelerating project timelines, and addressing local energy needs to avoid outages. Arizona faces an urgent need for faster infrastructure development to keep up with rapid growth and increasing energy demands.

  • ASU students redesign ‘Workstation on Wheels’ for HonorHealth nurses

    ASU students redesign ‘Workstation on Wheels’ for HonorHealth nurses

    Fulton Schools biomedical engineering student Sheetal Jha was among a dozen ASU students who participated recently in ASU’s Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation’s Health Entrepreneurship Accelerator Lab internship in partnership with HonorHealth. The group’s project involved reimagining a Workstation on Wheels cart for use by the company’s nurses. Jha and other students, including Karanraj Govindraj, a Fulton Schools industrial engineering graduate student, designed various components of the cart using computer-aided design software and conducting stress and structural analysis. An HonorHealth clinical director complemented the project team for its innovative approach and attention to the needs of the patients the cart will serve.

  • El Paso’s drinking water has small amounts of lithium. What does that mean?

    El Paso’s drinking water has small amounts of lithium. What does that mean?

    Numerous U.S. Environmental Protection Agency studies confirm there is lithium, an alkali metal, in water supplies of many communities. El Paso, Texas, and other cities and regions are testing for the amounts of lithium in their water supplies to help determine if it clearly has detrimental effects on local populations. Professor Paul Westerhoff, the Fulton Schools chair of environmental engineering, says there may be different levels of risk among various communities depending on varying concentrations of lithium. But he says the EPA would need to conclude lithium poses a major threat to human health before requiring water utilities to put stricter limits on its presence.

  • How AI — and ASU — will advance the health care sector

    How AI — and ASU — will advance the health care sector

    The growing role of artificial intelligence, or AI, in healthcare is reshaping and advancing current practices. AI is theorised to have potential to analyze a patient’s scan and other data and predict risks for heart attacks or strokes. AI has been used in healthcare for over two decades and can accelerate diagnoses and treatment by processing information faster than humans. Bradley Greger, an associate professor in ASU’s School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, sees AI as an essential tool, enhancing but not replacing healthcare providers. Some experts believe that while AI’s impact will be significant, its integration into everyday healthcare will take time.

  • Strengthening our power grid through AI

    Strengthening our power grid through AI

    Arizona State University researchers are focused on leveraging AI across various disciplines while addressing potential issues. Anamitra Pal, an associate professor of electrical engineering with ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, is using AI to enhance the reliability and resilience of the power grid amidst diverse energy sources and extreme weather. Pal’s research aims to extract actionable insights from sensor data to prevent power outages. He emphasizes AI’s role in identifying complex patterns and incorporating prior knowledge to improve power system applications. Pal is particularly motivated by explaining AI operations and providing performance guarantees for AI models in power systems. 

  • AI as teammate: The human systems approach

    AI as teammate: The human systems approach

    Nancy Cooke, a professor in human systems engineering for The Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools of Engineering, emphasizes the importance of integrating humans with artificial intelligence, or AI, and robotics. As the founding director of the Center for Human, Artificial Intelligence and Robot Teaming, she advocates for AI to complement human skills rather than replace them. Cooke explores the concept of AI as a teammate, citing examples like the centaur model in chess, where AI and human capabilities are combined for superior performance. She also discusses the need for effective measurement techniques to evaluate human-AI team performance and stresses the importance of AI literacy for all users. Cooke envisions a future where AI enhances human capabilities, leading to greater productivity and possibly shorter workweeks, while maintaining a human-centered approach to AI development.

    See also: Designing a more sustainable future with AI, ASU News, July 12

  • New research tools reveal the dynamics behind breaking a sweat

    New research tools reveal the dynamics behind breaking a sweat

    Konrad Rykaczewski, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, is investigating the initial phases of sweating, focusing on the formation and evaporation of tiny sweat droplets. Unlike the later profuse sweating stages, where evaporation dynamics are better understood, the early stages have been largely overlooked. Using a specialized ventilated capsule with high-magnification video capabilities, they studied droplet behavior on human foreheads, capturing details down to 20 microns. This innovative approach aims to enhance understanding of sweat’s cooling mechanism, potentially impacting fields from medicine to industrial applications.

  • See the Great Basin’s rapid groundwater loss from the sky

    See the Great Basin’s rapid groundwater loss from the sky

    A space-age method of measuring water storage across the world was pioneered more than two decades ago by Jay Famiglietti, a ASU Global Futures Scientist and an affiliate faculty member in ASU’s School of Sustainability and the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. The method, which uses data from NASA satellites to measure gravity, can detect levels of surface water, groundwater and surface moisture. The method has been recently used to detect widespread water depletion in the Great Basin, which spans across much of the western U.S. Famiglietti and others say the impacts of increasing depletion could be wide-reaching and dramatic, including threatening water supplies needed to grow food.

  • ASU’s AZNext Program aims to shore up IT, business workforces with free virtual developmental courses

    ASU’s AZNext Program aims to shore up IT, business workforces with free virtual developmental courses

    Arizona State University’s AZNext Program is a public-private partnership designed to address the need for more skilled professionals, with an emphasis on the information technology, business/data analytics and advanced manufacturing industries. Partnering with major corporations and institutions like Arizona State University’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, AZNext offers free courses benefiting diverse professionals, including veterans. Virtual classes accommodate busy schedules, emphasizing upskilling. Supported by a U.S. Department of Labor grant, AZNext collaborates with industry leaders to tailor courses like cybersecurity and IT support, addressing workforce shortages. 

  • ASU students seek to combat food waste, insecurity with innovative startup

    ASU students seek to combat food waste, insecurity with innovative startup

    ASU’s Luminosity Lab developed Verdantt Fresh, an app that aims to tackle food insecurity and waste via a fresh produce vending machine. Chemical engineering student Ellie Moran says the startup emerged from a student project and progressed to compete at the Hult Prize Monterrey Global Summit. Though they didn’t advance to the next round, the experience bolstered their confidence. They are currently building community and corporate partners and plan to officially launch for public use in the spring of next year.

  • ASU researchers receive $2.8M grant to harness the power of AI for health

    ASU researchers receive $2.8M grant to harness the power of AI for health

    Arizona State University researchers have a $2.8 million National Science Foundation grant through the Expand AI initiative to advance artificial intelligence applications in technologies such as phones and smartwatches. Led by College of Health Solutions Associate Professor Hassan Ghasemzadeh, the research team includes Professor Pavan Turaga, director of the School of Arts, Media and Engineering and a faculty member in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, Associate Professor Giulia Pedrielli in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence and Professor Daniel Rivera in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy and others. The project aims to optimize AI for small, portable devices to enhance health monitoring and decision-making.

  • Zero-emissions trucks alone won’t cut it: Study says early retirement of polluters key to California’s emission goals

    Zero-emissions trucks alone won’t cut it: Study says early retirement of polluters key to California’s emission goals

    To reach its goal of seeing environmentally unhealthy emissions of greenhouse gases from heavy duty vehicles reduced to net zero in the next two decades, California must set early retirement dates for these vehicles. That’s the conclusion of a study by Stanford University and ASU researchers published in the journal “Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability.” Eleanor Hennessey, a postdoctoral scholar in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, is the study’s main author. The research findings are relevant to all countries trying to decarbonize motor vehicles to protect the health of their citizens. Many U.S. states have carbon neutrality goals similar to those set by California.

  • Blazing hot surfaces risk causing catastrophic burn injuries in the urban desert

    Blazing hot surfaces risk causing catastrophic burn injuries in the urban desert

    As temperatures in Southwest desert cities such as Phoenix and Las Vegas reach summertime highs there are increasing risks of serious burn injuries and heat strokes to people exposed to outdoor asphalt, concrete, metal and similar surfaces. For some, the injuries are fatal. Children in particular are not often unaware of risk they face in the sizzling heat, says Ariane Middel, an urban climate researcher and associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. Middel says cities need to consider using other types of materials instead of those that turn urban infrastructure surfaces into heat sponges.

  • 9 ASU faculty receive Fulbright US Scholar awards for 2024–25

    9 ASU faculty receive Fulbright US Scholar awards for 2024–25

    The prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program lays groundwork for international research collaborations to pursue solutions across a broad spectrum of engineering, science, economic, environmental, health care, human rights and related challenges. New projects to be undertaken include one to be led by Andreas Spanias, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools and director of the and the director of ASU’s Sensor, Signal and Information Processing Center. Spanias will work with fellow electrical engineers and information technology experts in North Macedonia to develop and deploy machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms to optimize rooftop solar energy systems performance.

June

2024
  • Student engineers travel to Ethiopia this summer to help protect local wildlife

    Student engineers travel to Ethiopia this summer to help protect local wildlife

    Fulton Schools students, including members of the ASU chapter of Engineers Without Borders, teamed recently with fellow ASU students and ASU faculty members and mentors to help reduce the plastic waste problem in Ethiopia that is endangering the country’s fragile ecosystem and a rare species of monkey. ASU students worked with fellow students from the Addis Ababa Institute of Technology to build machines to help solve the area’s plastic problem. Another goal was to help find ways local residents could profit from region’s ecosystem. Organizers of the project plan to return to Ethiopia next year and offer more engineering students an opportunity to work on the project.

    See also: ASU Student Engineer’s Embark On Mission To Safeguard Ethiopian Wildlife, India Education Diary, July 2

  • Hajj heat wave deaths underscore climate threat for most vulnerable

    Hajj heat wave deaths underscore climate threat for most vulnerable

    The life-threatening dangers posed by a combination of extreme heat and a lack of cooling facilities were made apparent by the numbers of deaths among people who recently took part in a popular traditional pilgrimage in India. Temperatures in the holy city of Mecca soared well above 120 degrees Fahrenheit, contributing to 1,301 deaths. Ariane Middel, an associate professor in the School for Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and ASU’s Urban Climate Research Center, is quoted about what is both effective and ineffective in protecting people exposed to hot environments for extended periods of time.

    See also: Is air conditioning enough? Why extreme heat can still put you at risk, ABC News, June 21
    Middel says neither U.S. citizens nor government leaders are taking the deadly threat of extreme heat seriously enough

  • Cuba and nuclear tensions: One misjudgment leads to disaster

    Cuba and nuclear tensions: One misjudgment leads to disaster

    Geopolitics, national security and military technologies and strategy intertwine in the research interests of Brad Allenby, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and a former associate director of energy and environmental systems at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories. In this recent article (written in the Bosnian language), Allenby, whose expertise includes the geopolitical implications of emerging technologies, assesses Russia’s current nuclear posturing in response to NATO’s support of Ukraine, especially given China’s increasing influence over Russia, and the systemic integration of artificial intelligence technology into nuclear systems. He concludes that fundamental shifts in nuclear weapons strategies may well be coming, but there is no need for alarm at present.

  • Newly accredited ASU summer program opens up STEM opportunities for underrepresented students

    Newly accredited ASU summer program opens up STEM opportunities for underrepresented students

    Jenavieve Echegaray, who will begin studies in manufacturing engineering in the Fulton Schools in the fall, is among students participating in ASU’s Joaquin Bustoz Math-Science Honors Program academic camp this summer. The program prepares incoming ASU students for the rigors of studies in STEM subjects. By completing the camp course, students will earn three college credits for studies in math, science and engineering. Echegaray says the experience showed that college “doesn’t have to be super hard or scary.” Kenneth Ho, who plans to major in computer science and eventually work as a software engineer, said the program is good preparation for the transition from high school to college.

  • State and university collaboration to address innovative PFAS treatment options

    State and university collaboration to address innovative PFAS treatment options

    To respond to a directive set forth in a new federal rule, Arizona will make use of the expertise of Treavor Boyer, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. The goal is to reduce per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in drinking water to meet new environmental quality standards. Boyer, whose work is also supported by the Global Center for Water Technology, will also help the state’s Department of Environmental Quality significantly limit exposure to the PFAS contaminant. Through research supported by the National Science Foundation, Boyer will also have a role in helping the state deal with a threat being posed by phosphorus in wastewater.

  • Driverless cars are mostly safer than humans – but worse at turns

    Driverless cars are mostly safer than humans – but worse at turns

    Studies show that in routine driving circumstances, driverless automobiles are involved in fewer accidents than cars driven by people. But research also reveals that autonomous vehicles are having more difficulties than human drivers when encountering low-light conditions and when making turns on roads. Still, experts say much more research must be done to get a more comprehensively accurate picture of the driving skills of automated cars versus the driving performance of humans. Junfeng Zhao, an assistant professor of engineering in The Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools, stresses that more extensive data on autonomous vehicle testing and deployment — especially robotaxis — is needed to get a complete picture of the situation.

  • Forest-thinning simulations reveal benefits to water supplies

    Forest-thinning simulations reveal benefits to water supplies

    ASU and the Salt River Project power and water utility company have conducted a study showing how water supplies can be increased while wildfire risk is decreased on forest lands by certain forest-thinning techniques. Enrique Vivoni, director of ASU’s Center for Hydrologic Innovations and a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, comments about how watershed productivity can be significantly improved by forest thinning that protects the environment by meticulously removing only smaller and thinner trees that can fuel forest fires while at the same time helping to  produce significantly more water.

    See also: ASU, SRP investigating if forest thinning could increase water supplies, ABC 15 News Arizona, June 6

    SRP and Apple Team Up to Thin Out the Forests to Save More Water, 3TV-CBS 5 News-Phoenix May 22

  • ACS Journal Validates HydroGraph Cement Performance

    ACS Journal Validates HydroGraph Cement Performance

    Recent news media reports on high-tech advances in construction materials were based on findings detailed in the research paper New Generation Graphenes in Cement-Based Materials: Production Property Enhancement, coauthored by Narayanan Neithalath (pictured in his ASU workspace), a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of ASU’s Center for Carbon Efficient and Advanced Manufacturing of Materials  and Structures. Testing by Neithalath and fellow Fulton Schools researchers validated the superior technical performance of a new kind of graphene developed by HydroGraph Clean Power Inc. to improve the effectiveness of cement. Repoerts were also posted on WGNO (New Orleans) and WDTN (Dayton).

  • Sweating test dummy being used in Arizona to determine how heat impacts the human body

    Sweating test dummy being used in Arizona to determine how heat impacts the human body

    A deeper understanding of how humans are affected by high temperatures is emerging with the help of a test dummy named ANDI. The heat-monitoring manikin is the primary tool being used in research led by Konrad Rycakzewski, an associate professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of the Fulton Schools. ANDI is one of only two such manikins in the world able to leave the lab and venture outside into the heat. That ability enables ANDI to contribute to knowledge that can be used to help develop defenses against weather conditions that are causing high numbers of deaths and health threats.

  • How Arizona is building the workforce to manufacture semiconductors in the U.S.

    How Arizona is building the workforce to manufacture semiconductors in the U.S.

    Semiconductor manufacturing has accelerated since the passage of the U.S. CHIPS Act two years ago. Colleges and universities have since been working to help create the trained workforce needed to fulfill the aspirations of the CHIPS Act. But, so far, those efforts are falling short in providing sufficient numbers of skilled employees for the nation’s semiconductor chip makers. Trevor Thornton, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, says even large universities such as ASU are not graduating enough students to end the shortage of chip makers for the industry. One remedy might be recruiting new students from community colleges, Thornton says.

  • Using AI to get people out of their cars and into HOVs

    Using AI to get people out of their cars and into HOVs

    Researchers are envisioning a future in which people prefer environmentally friendly, energy-efficient, high-occupancy vehicles. To realize that goal they are exploring employing advanced technology that uses reinforcement learning, a type of artificial intelligence, to incentivize people to choose options to single-occupant motor vehicles. Their ideas for a more human-centric system are detailed in the journal “Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies.” Among the authors is Hua Wei, an assistant professor in School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, whose expertise includes machine learning, artificial intelligence, data mining, urban computing and multi-agent reinforcement learning.

  • Tackling Phoenix’s ozone problem with natural emission research

    Tackling Phoenix’s ozone problem with natural emission research

    Fulton Schools researchers are teaming with colleagues in ASU’s School of Molecular Sciences to study natural atmospheric emissions that are adding to harmful levels of the ozone pollution and giving the Phoenix metro area some of the unhealthiest air in the U.S. The project presents the challenge of controlling emissions from industry and motor vehicles, says Matthew Fraser, a professor in in the  School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, who will co-lead the project. Students are getting research experience through the endeavor, including Gabrielle Cano, a student in the Fulton Schools’ civil, environmental and sustainable engineering doctoral program.

  • The Heat Wave Scenario That Keeps Climate Scientists Up at Night

    The Heat Wave Scenario That Keeps Climate Scientists Up at Night

    An essay by the author of “The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet,” bolsters his warning about the possibility of a heat-triggered climate catastrophe by citing scenarios described by Mikhail Chester, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. Chester recounts factors that worsened the impact on cities and regions from prolonged extreme heat events. The damage was more devastating because of the lack of preparedness for such severe climate threats, says Chester, director of ASU’s Metis Center for Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering. Studies show large urban areas such as Phoenix can suffer more severe consequences in such situations.

    See also: Hurricanes & Heat — It Isn’t Nice to Fool With Mother Nature! Clean Technica, June 3

     

May

2024
  • Crystal Sonic joins Valley research center to advance chip manufacturing

    Crystal Sonic joins Valley research center to advance chip manufacturing

    A process that reduces waste while using sound to cut materials for solar photovoltaics technology was developed by the Defect Engineering for Energy Conversion Technologies lab at ASU, directed by Mariana Bertoni, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools. The process became the basis for a venture by a Phoenix-based startup now called Crystal Sonic. The company worked with ASU to further develop the technology and obtain a patent for the process. Crystal Sonic’s target customers include semiconductor material suppliers, device manufacturers and equipment manufacturers.

  • The New ChatGPT Offers a Lesson in A.I. Hype

    The New ChatGPT Offers a Lesson in A.I. Hype

    OpenAI’s newest version of the popular ChatGPT chatbot has the ability to upload photos for the bot to analyze. Other than that, there’s not much significantly improved over the previous version, which was ChatGPT-4. After putting the new chatbot through some tests, Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, says he sees no meaningful improvement in bot’s reasoning capabilities. The new version needs some help from human intelligence to fulfill its purpose. But that is contrary to how advanced artificial intelligence should be working, Kambhampati says.

  • ASU researchers create microphone to authenticate human speech

    ASU researchers create microphone to authenticate human speech

    A increase in easily produced fake images and sound recordings meant to deceive viewers and listeners are prompting more intensive efforts to develop defenses against the perpetrators of these manipulated visuals and sounds — many of them altered by the use of artificial intelligence, or AI, technology. Visar Berisha, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, leads a team that has created a tool to help solve the problem. The invention is microphone that authenticates human speech, making it easier to detect if voices are real or phony simulations. Named “OriginStory,” the device recently won the Federal Trade Commission’s Voice Cloning Challenge.

    See also: New Techniques Emerge to Stop Audio Deepfakes, IEEE Spectrum, May 30
    ChatGPT maker OpenAI’s ‘Sky” AI voice is similar to two more Hollywood stars, Times of India, June 3

  • ASU scientists use new technologies to monitor, mitigate heat exposure risk

    ASU scientists use new technologies to monitor, mitigate heat exposure risk

    Among growing threats to global health is the increasingly frequent extreme heat caused by climate change. That jump in temperatures is often exacerbated by the heat-island effect in urban areas. Three ASU associate professors and researchers are working on innovative ways to combat the rising heat problem. Ariane Middel (pictured) in the School of Arts, Media and Engineering and the School for Computing and Augmented Intelligence, parts of the Fulton Schools, Konrad Rykaczewski in the School for the Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, one of the Fulton Schools, and Jennifer Vanos in the School of Sustainability are developing tools and methods to deploy in the battle against scorching temperatures.

  • Intermittent fasting shows promise in improving gut health, weight management

    Intermittent fasting shows promise in improving gut health, weight management

    ASU researchers’ studies of the human gut microbiome are revealing how the gut’s microorganisms help manage weight. One recent study was based at ASU’s Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes, directed by Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. Krajmalnik-Brown also participated in the research, which could deepen knowledge about the link between the gut microbiome and the human metabolism, thereby helping to devise more effective strategies for managing obesity. One promising strategy involves a regimen of intermittent fasting and regular protein intake.

  • Does the West want Ukraine to win or Russia not to lose?

    Does the West want Ukraine to win or Russia not to lose?

    Brad Allenby’s research has included exploring the impacts of the modern world’s rapid rate of technological evolution and societal change, especially their effects on the use of military force, national security systems and geopolitics. Allenby, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, is particularly interested in current conflicts and their ramifications. In this news report, Allenby comments on the Ukrainian War and what it reflects about deeper trends in international conflicts. (The article is in the Bosnian language and mistakenly identifies Allenby as a faculty member at the University of Arizona.)

  • BEMA Continues Successful Partnership With Arizona State University for Convention 2024

    BEMA Continues Successful Partnership With Arizona State University for Convention 2024

    For a third year, the Bakery Equipment Manufacturers and Allieds, or BEMA, organization, will partner with the Fulton Schools to bring together leading scholars in manufacturing education and members of  BEMA, an international not-for-profit trade association representing major bakery and food suppliers. Professor Binil Starly, director of the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, part of the Fulton Schools, and Farhad Ameri, an associate professor in the school, will be sharing the latest research findings and other knowledge of interest to leaders of the bakery and food suppliers’ industry. Starly is among the 20 most influential professors in smart manufacturing named by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Ameri’s expertise is in Knowledge-based Engineering, or KBE, in design and manufacturing applications, digital supply chains and related fields.

  • How Top U.S. Universities Cut Their Carbon Emissions to Help Fight Climate Change

    How Top U.S. Universities Cut Their Carbon Emissions to Help Fight Climate Change

    ASU is recognized as one of the U.S. universities where researchers are making the most significant progress in endeavors to curb the carbon emissions that pose an environmental threat. Much of that work is being done through by research and development projects in the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, directed by Klaus Lackner, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. The center is at the forefront of advances in carbon capture technologies, in particular an innovative carbon management cycle designed to capture carbon directly from the air. The center’s “mechanical tree” technology is much more effective than natural tress at removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

  • How AI is changing the political landscape ahead of elections

    How AI is changing the political landscape ahead of elections

    A recently announced proposal by the head of the Federal Communications Commission would add a layer of transparency that many lawmakers and AI experts have requested to keep AI technology from being used to mislead voters and the general public. Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and others say the legislative bill would aim to provide a piece of model legislation for the country to show how the dangers of AI and deep fakes in a political context can be addressed in a way that still respects the First Amendment.

  • Forest thinning may provide water benefits downstream

    Forest thinning may provide water benefits downstream

    Experts at ASU and the Salt River Project utility company are exploring the use of forest thinning to increase water supplies, as well as to reduce the risk of wildfires and protect critical infrastructure. The research is being conducted by the Center for Hydrologic Innovations, directed by Enrique Vivoni, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. The endeavor is part of the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative,  a statewide project led by the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory in collaboration with the Fulton Schools. Vivoni says the project is critical to assuring both future forest health and water resilience.

    See also: SRP, ASU collaboration gauges benefits of forest thinning, KJZZ News (NPR) News, May 21

    SRP-ASU Collaboration Gauges Benefits of Forest Restoration, Energy Central, May 22

    SRP and Arizona State University Gauges Benefits of Forest Restoration, T&DWorld, May 23

    SRP Collaborates with University on Forest Restoration Project, American Public Power Association, May 29

    ASU, SRP investigating if forest thinning could increase water supplies, ABC 15 Arizona, June 5

  • 9 winners of prestigious Flinn Scholarship choose ASU

    9 winners of prestigious Flinn Scholarship choose ASU

    Four of the recent Arizona high school graduates to win the prestigious Flinn Scholarship to support their upcoming studies in ASU’s Barrett, The Honors College, will add to the number of Flinn Scholars already enrolled in Fulton Schools degree programs. Zahrah Ralph says her love for engineering and the engineering design process guided her decision to pursue a mechanical engineering degree. Her fellow new Flinn Scholarship winners are first-year students Vyktorianna Bowler in mechanical engineering, and Dominic Castagna and Edward Wang, both in electrical engineering. The Flinn Scholarship covers the cost of tuition, fees, housing, meals and at least two study abroad experiences.

  • Can Artificial Intelligence Make the PC Cool Again?

    Can Artificial Intelligence Make the PC Cool Again?

    Microsoft, HP, Dell and other computer technology companies have developed a laptop computer designed to work with artificial intelligence, or AI, technology. The computers will make it simpler to use AI to find websites users have browsed, emails they’ve read and documents and files they have worked on. The AI systems will also enable automating photo editing and language translation and speeding up video editing. The benefits of the new chip may still not be readily evident to consumers, says Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor and artificial intelligence researcher in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. Most of the data processing for AI still has to be done on a company’s servers and not directly on the devices, Kambhampati says.

  • Fiber-reinforced concrete cuts time, cost on light-rail project

    Fiber-reinforced concrete cuts time, cost on light-rail project

    In his work for the Phoenix area’s Valley Metro light-rail system expansion, Barzin Mobasher, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, used a new fiber-reinforced concrete instead of concrete reinforced with traditional steel bars for the track slabs. In an article on the American Society of Civil Engineers, or ASCE, website, Mobasher provides details about how use of the new concrete helped in completing the  project at a lower cost and in less time than if convention rebar were used. Advances in alternative construction design processes and the use of reinforced-concrete track slabs were developed in Mobasher’s Structural Mechanics and Infrastructure Materials Laboratory. The article was first posted on ASCE’s website on April 12.

  • Here’s how ASU researchers are using AI to improve health

    Here’s how ASU researchers are using AI to improve health

    Advances in artificial intelligence, or AI, technology are sparking a new wave of medical research that is exploring how AI and machine learning can be used to improve diagnosis and treatment of diseases and other health problems. At ASU, faculty members in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering and the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, parts of the Fulton Schools, including Professors Teresa Wu, Thurmon Lockhart and Visar Berisha, Associate Professor Bradley Greger and Assistant Professor Christopher Plaisier, are among those helping to expand the capabilities of health care through evolving applications of AI.

  • Arizona House votes to regulate deepfakes

    Arizona House votes to regulate deepfakes

    Arizona legislators are trying to hinder use of deepfake technology by making the creation of fake images for harmful purposes a punishable felony infraction. Two bills advanced by the Arizona House of Representatives would make it illegal to use manufactured video or audio recordings with the intent to defraud, harass or exploit the victims or their friends and families. But enforcing laws against altering images and recordings or creating fake ones will be challenging, say experts such as Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. He says evolving artificial intelligence technology makes it easier to produce more realistic fake image and voices — and harder to control how they are used.

  • How far can you trust chain-of-thought prompting?

    How far can you trust chain-of-thought prompting?

    A high-tech news website that focuses on trends in machine learning, deep learning, neural networks and artificial intelligence, or AI, technologies and business, reports on a new research paper authored by Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, along with graduate student Kaya Stechly and graduate research associate Karthik Valmeekam in the same school. In the paper, they examine the popular AI “chain-of-thought” prompting technique that improves performance but also has some limitations. The authors write about how to avoid the hazards presented by the technique.

  • ASU cybersecurity student selected for competitive US Department of State fellowship

    ASU cybersecurity student selected for competitive US Department of State fellowship

    Among only 10 undergraduates selected for this year’s cohort of those awarded the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Affairs Information Technology Fellowship is Isa Cohen, a student in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. The program will provide support for two remaining years of undergraduate studies for Cohen, who is pursuing a degree in computer science. Through the fellowship, Cohen will aid the State Department’s efforts to ensure the security of digital environments. Ross Maciejewski, director of the  School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, says Cohen exemplifies Fulton Schools students who want to use their skills for the common good.

  • ASU researchers develop voice authentication to guard against AI

    ASU researchers develop voice authentication to guard against AI

    Along with recent promising advances in artificial intelligence, or AI, technology come warnings about how it could also be used as an instrument of deception. AI’s capability to imitate peoples’ voices is among the latest of those concerns. In response, a group ASU researchers, including, Visar Berisha, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, have developed a prototype of a microphone capable of authenticating voices as human speech, which could expose AI imitations. Berisha talks about the various positive uses of the voice verification technology.

    See also: Cyberattacks are disrupting critical infrastructure. This expert says we can all fight back, KJZZ (NPR) News
    Katina Michael, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, talks about the growing threat of cyber criminals targeting public services operations, health care and educational institutions.

  • The world’s largest carbon-capture plant just switched on

    The world’s largest carbon-capture plant just switched on

    Some of a growing number of industrial facilities equipped to capture carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that threatens human and environmental health are ramping up their carbon capturing capacities — and a new plant called “Mammoth” is many times larger than other such operations. Still, the capabilities of many plants fall short of what is needed to sufficiently decarbonize the atmosphere, says Klaus Lackner (pictured in an ASU photo), a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions. Lackner and other experts also express hope of finding ways to reduce the current high costs of decarbonization that remain a major hurdle. (Access to the Washington Post online requires a subscription.)

  • Phoenix Business Journal’s Most Admired Leaders 2024: Kyle Squires, Arizona State University

    Phoenix Business Journal’s Most Admired Leaders 2024: Kyle Squires, Arizona State University

    Among the most important strengths of a good leader are recognizing, supporting and leveraging the skills of people on your team, and putting them in positions to be successful, says Professor Kyle Squires. That approach is essential to effectively managing an organization as complex as one of the largest engineering schools in the U.S., says Squires, dean of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU and the university’s senior vice provost for engineering, computing and technology. Ongoing efforts to provide innovative education, research and productive industry partnerships present formidable challenges, he says. Squires provides insights into how the Fulton Schools is fulfilling its mission by meaningfully integrating itself into the various communities it serves.

  • Meet recent grads beginning their careers right after commencement

    Meet recent grads beginning their careers right after commencement

    New ASU graduate Hunter Mantle (pictured) will be applying what he learned while earning an electrical engineering degree in the Fulton Schools to his new job in avionics engineering with an aerospace industry company. Mantle, who aspires to contribute to a NASA mission through his employer, is among many recent ASU engineering students who have found employment in their fields before or soon after completing undergraduate studies. Kyles Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools, says Mantle and other recent graduates are among those who are increasingly equipped to not only contribute to engineering businesses but also prepared to be leaders in their professions.

  • Don’t Be Fooled by A.I. Katy Perry Didn’t Attend the Met.

    Don’t Be Fooled by A.I. Katy Perry Didn’t Attend the Met.

    Even the mother of pop music star Katy Perry was fooled by a picture generated by artificial intelligence, or AI, technology that showed an image of Perry at the recent annual star-studded Met Gala Costume Institute Benefit in New York City — which Perry did not attend. Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor of computer science and AI expert in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, says growing public awareness of the current disinformation ecosystem and new technologies will soon be helping people to better discern if images are fake or real.

    See also: Even Katy Perry’s mom was fooled by what appeared to be AI-generated Met Gala pics, NBC News, May 7
    Subbarao Kambhampati is also quoted in this report.

  • Phoenix, Arizona — the Silicon Valley of chip manufacturing in the West

    Phoenix, Arizona — the Silicon Valley of chip manufacturing in the West

    Phones, computers, light switches and just about every other modern electronic device, machine or gadget we interact with are powered by advanced microelectronic devices and semiconductors. That’s one reason the Fulton Schools have been leading a transformation of ASU into a leader in semiconductor chip development, manufacturing and innovation, says Professor Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools. Aided by federal and state government investments and industry partnerships, ASU is at the forefront of efforts to turn the Phoenix area into leading center of microelectronic device production, innovation and the source of growing labor pool for microchip production companies. Squires sees potential for a global impact on the high-tech manufacturing market.

  • Leading students toward a future of renewable energy

    Leading students toward a future of renewable energy

    ASU NewSpace is combining academic and commercial enterprises to expand U.S. leadership in space-related enterprises and drawing on ASU’s strengths in space science, engineering and education to explore the potential for what NewSpace could achieve, including paving the way to a future powered by renewable energy. Nicholas Rolston (pictured), assistant professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, and a partner on NASA research grants, is working on an Air Force proposal to use next-generation space power. He is also focusing on academic-commercial partnerships to give students opportunities for roles in space research and industry. Two of Rolston’s engineering undergraduate students have already been NASA Space Grant fellows sponsored by NewSpace.

  • Students pitch in to help solve plastic problem in Ethiopian national park

    Students pitch in to help solve plastic problem in Ethiopian national park

    Thirty Fulton Schools students are on their way to Ethiopia to begin a project to help the community in the country’s Simien Mountains National Park area overcome a problem with a large accumulation of plastics waste. Machines the student team has been prototyping for the past two years will be used to transform plastic bottles discarded by tourists and turn them into products that can be sold. The team’s goal is to both protect the local environment while also providing revenue for people living in the area. Students will also use locally sourced materials to build their plastics transformation machines.

April

2024
  • Unlocking the potential of AI for homeland security

    Unlocking the potential of AI for homeland security

    At the recent annual meeting of the Center for Accelerating Operational Efficiency, or CAOE, the director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate led the featured discussion on the potential for the use of artificial intelligence, or AI, technology in helping the department address challenges to its effectiveness. Joining in the discussion were Ross Maciejewski, director of the and the School of Computing and Augmented and Intelligence. part of the Fulton Schools, and the CAOE Global Security Initiative, along with Huan Liu (pictured), a professor in the school. Maciejewski focused on how AI could provide new approaches to solving problems. Liu gave a presentation on countering misinformation in the era of AI technology.

  • ASU at the heart of the state’s revitalized microelectronics industry

    ASU at the heart of the state’s revitalized microelectronics industry

    Research at ASU to advance semiconductor technology — particularly by Fulton Schools faculty members —has been a major contributing factor to putting Arizona at the forefront of the microelectronics industry’s emerging boom. Kyles Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools, says the university has put itself in a position to help lead the revival through multiple efforts, especially the expansion of the Fulton Schools and re-inventing a facility as the MacroTechnology Works at the ASU research Park to focus on improving the performance of microelectronics. Another step is the opening of the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks,  a part of the Fulton Schools, which will help increase ASU’s focus on growing the workforce for domestic semiconductor manufacturing.

  • Here are the factors behind the rise in Arizona traffic fatalities

    Here are the factors behind the rise in Arizona traffic fatalities

    Traffic safety experts say the statistics make it clear that it’s time to take a look at the underlying causes of increasing traffic deaths in Arizona and take action to reverse the trend. Former senior advisor to the U.S. Department of Transportation Steve Polzin, a research professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, points out how the public’s reaction to COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in safety features in newer automobile have been factors leading to more risky behavior by drivers.

    See also: Planners Push Transit, But it’s A Hard Sell In Western Cities, Newgeography, April 25, Polzin notes factors that influence the public’s choices about using public transit versus driving their own vehicles.

  • ASU student entrepreneurs win cash investments for ventures at Demo Day

    ASU student entrepreneurs win cash investments for ventures at Demo Day

    A Fulton Schools computer science graduate student, along with a user experience graduate student and a clinical assistant professor are among those whose entrepreneurial ventures were recently awarded funding during ASU’s Demo Day to support individual or team projects. Almost 70 pitches were made as part of the Venture Devils program. The winners also included four early-stage student ventures that won support from the Fulton Schools eSeed Challenge Challenge project. More than $250,000 in all was awarded. Many of the awards also provide mentorship opportunities and access to working space for students and project teams.

  • How the ASU Polytechnic campus will fuel the PHX East Valley economy

    How the ASU Polytechnic campus will fuel the PHX East Valley economy

     ASU’s new Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building on the university’s Polytechnic campus is generating expectations as a driver of substantial growth in the area’s economy. That anticipation revolves around the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, the newest of the eight Fulton Schools. With a combination of traditional academic instruction and hands-on training, the school is gearing up to provide next-generation engineers to supply the workforce for tech-based industry ventures expected to open or expand operations in the East Valley area. Professor Binil Starly, the school’s director, foresees a jump from about 250 current students to between 3,000 and 4,000 in the future.

  • Advanced packaging the next big thing in semiconductors — and no, we’re not talking about boxes

    Advanced packaging the next big thing in semiconductors — and no, we’re not talking about boxes

    ASU is poised to be at the forefront of progress in the design and manufacture of microchips and the advanced packaging techniques that boost chip performance. The university is partnering with NXP Semiconductors to improve packaging techniques and has Arizona Commerce Authority funding to increase semiconductor research, development and workforce training. It’s part of multiple efforts to make ASU an advanced packaging leader, says Professor Zachary Holman, Fulton Schools vice dean for research and innovation. Christopher Bailey, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, says students pursing degrees in various areas of engineering are being trained in advanced semiconductor packaging.

  • Arizona State University launches educational lab to promote learning through video games

    Arizona State University launches educational lab to promote learning through video games

    The Fulton Schools will be joining ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, along with its Media and Immersive eXperience Center, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and Thunderbird School of Global Management in bringing students into ASU’s new Endless Games and Learning Lab. Students will be introduced to a facility equipped to enable them to become creators through video game-based learning experiences. ASU President Michael Crow says activities in the lab will merge cutting-edge technology and engaging game environments to provide innovative education techniques that will open future career opportunities for students in many growing and emerging fields.

  • UN report reveals less than a quarter of the world’s e-waste is being recycled

    UN report reveals less than a quarter of the world’s e-waste is being recycled

    Only a small percentage of the electronics waste  produced around the world is being properly disposed of in ways that would not pose a major threat to the environment or could be made useful by recycling. Dwarak Ravikumar, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, says lack of recycling is hindering efforts to create a circular economy in which old materials are used to produce useful new materials. Some of those unrecycled materials can become toxic and damage the natural environment. Ravikumar says the trend needs to be reversed toward recycling and reusing materials, and redesigning products, in ways that can both provide economic opportunities and protect the environment.

  • Arizona EV companies still confident amid signs of industry slowdown

    Arizona EV companies still confident amid signs of industry slowdown

    Demand for electric vehicles has slowed, but the trend toward adoption of the vehicles remains promising, says Steve Polzin (misidentified as Paul Polzin in the article), a research professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. Polzin and other experts says the outlook remains strong for electric vehicles to be the wave of the future. While there may be bumps along the way, including some layoffs in the electric vehicle industry, Polzin and others says there is no going backwards in the prospects for electric vehicles, as well as hybrid vehicles, to eventually become more significantly prevalent.

  • From campus to community: ASU’s Devils in Disguise Week makes lasting impact through service

    From campus to community: ASU’s Devils in Disguise Week makes lasting impact through service

    ASU’s charter and culture put a high value on volunteer efforts that contribute to communities where the university’s campuses are located. The annual Devils in Disguise Week, a part of ASU’s Changemaker Central program, enables students to apply their knowledge and expertise to developing innovative solutions to local, national and global challenges. Among the students participating as volunteers in recent public service efforts were Fulton Schools human systems engineering student Lizzy Cowgur, mechanical engineering student Blake Huffman and biomedical engineering student Evelyn Dellaripa, who view their efforts as opportunities to use their skills to provide a valuable service for the benefit of others.

  • From solar energy to water quality to art, honors graduate fulfilled many interests at ASU

    From solar energy to water quality to art, honors graduate fulfilled many interests at ASU

    Erin Burgard’s goal is a career in which she can apply what she’s learned in undergraduate studies that covered a diverse landscape of interests. She recently graduated with a minor in Spanish, a certificate in environmental humanities and a bachelor’s degree from the environmental engineering program in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment. part of the Fulton Schools. Burgard, who was also a NASA Space Grant intern and an Engineering Futures mentor, now wants to work abroad in Spain, contribute to advances in solar energy and water quality, and perhaps fulfill an aspiration to tackle the problem of inequity in education.

  • EU delegation visits ASU with an eye toward collaboration on semiconductors

    EU delegation visits ASU with an eye toward collaboration on semiconductors

    A recent visit to ASU by two dozen European Union representatives focused in large part on discussion about the university’s involvement in efforts to realize the goals of U.S. CHIPS Act to advance the nation’s semiconductor industry. Calling the Phoenix metro area “ground zero for semiconductors,” Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools, says he sees Arizona becoming one of the “globally relevant” locations to contribute to boosting semiconductor manufacturing and research. With students from around the country and the world coming to study at ASU, talented engineering graduates are already increasingly finding jobs with major semiconductor manufacturers and with companies in industries powered by semiconductor technology, such as aerospace, defense and energy.

  • 2 ASU juniors awarded prestigious Goldwater Scholarship for excellence in STEM research

    2 ASU juniors awarded prestigious Goldwater Scholarship for excellence in STEM research

    Timothy Chase, a student in ASU’s Barrett, The Honors College who is majoring in chemical engineering in the School for the Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, is among recent winners of the Goldwater Scholarship, a prestigious award for undergraduate research in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics. Chase has been involved in research on durable plastics with Fulton Schools Professor David Nielsen and is studying the most effective polymers for use in 3D printing with Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Christopher Muhich. Chase says his experiences in the scholarship program have bolstered his passion for chemical engineering.

  • FAA clears futuristic ‘blended-wing’ JetZero aircraft for test flights

    FAA clears futuristic ‘blended-wing’ JetZero aircraft for test flights

    In this commercial travel industry blog, Timothy Takahashi, a professor of practice in the School for the Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, draws on his expertise in aircraft performance, aerodynamics, aerospace structures and materials to assess a touted next-generation aircraft. Called JetZero, it is described as a big leap forward in commercial aircraft architecture, featuring a creative design that reduces drag on the aircraft to enable more fuel efficiency than standard jets. Takahashi says JetZero has potential to be an evolutionary step forward but stresses that its capabilities and versatility need to be fully tested and refined before deploying it for military use or as a passenger aircraft.

  • TSMC, Intel funding shining bright light on Arizona

    TSMC, Intel funding shining bright light on Arizona

    Arizona, particularly the greater Phoenix area, looks poised to take a leading role as a center of technological advancement in the semiconductor industry. A recently announced multi-billion-dollar investment by the U.S. government will provide funding for the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to expand its facilties in the metro region. It’s one of many substantial investments in recent years resulting in dozens of tech companies opening or increasing operations in Arizona. The boom is also drawing more funding for research and development at ASU, says Associate Professor Zachary Holman, the Fulton Schools vice dean for research and innovation. Multiyear projects by ASU researchers will help create the future of semiconductors, Holman says. (The article is accessible only to subscribers.)

  • ‘At the forefront of our country’s economic future’: Arizona leaders react to TSMC grant

    ‘At the forefront of our country’s economic future’: Arizona leaders react to TSMC grant

    Arizona’s government, business and education leaders — including Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools — are hopeful of seeing the state become an international leader in the semiconductor industry after recent news of the U.S. Department of State’s announcement of a $6.6 billion grant for the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which is already building a $40 billion complex in north Phoenix. With the new grant, the CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council says the greater Phoenix area is emerging as the heartbeat of U.S. advanced manufacturing capabilities. Squires says he anticipates an acceleration of ASU’s partnership with TSMC that will lead to breakthroughs in research, innovation and learning experiences and work opportunities for students.

    See also: With $6.6B to Arizona hub, Biden touts big steps in US chipmaking, VOA (Voice of America News), April 8
    Zachary Holman, Fulton Schools vice dean for research and innovation, is quoted.

  • AI Chatbots Will Never Stop Hallucinating

    AI Chatbots Will Never Stop Hallucinating

    Hallucination is a word that is being increasingly used to describe the tendency of artificial intelligence, or AI, technology to produce false or contradictory information. In response to the problem, some researchers say generative AI tools must be paired with fact-checking systems so that AI chatbots are supervised and any inaccuracies they generate can be readily revealed. The potential solution presents a formidable challenge, says artificial intelligence researcher Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, because there is yet no reliable way to always assure the accuracy of computer generated material.

  • Cyberattacks are disrupting critical infrastructure. This expert says we can all fight back

    Cyberattacks are disrupting critical infrastructure. This expert says we can all fight back

    Cyber crime is proliferating as cyber criminals become more skillful. They are targeting vital operations such as energy, water and sewer systems, as well as health care facilities and educational institutions. Experts say the dangers these ambitious hackers pose will likely worsen. Katina Michael, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, who researches the socioethical implications of emerging technologies with an emphasis on national security. Michael says the number cyber attacks are rising and becoming more threatening to society’s critical infrastructure, as well as to industries, businesses and organizations, in ways that are more disruptive to peoples’ lives.

  • Major US bridges could be vulnerable to ship collisions, including one just downstream from Key Bridge

    Major US bridges could be vulnerable to ship collisions, including one just downstream from Key Bridge

    Large concrete structures called Dolphins have been placed around piers that support bridges by deflecting ships that come too close to those bridges. Barzin Mobasher, a structural engineering professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and other experts comment on the extent to which these structures may or may not be adequate defenses for bridges like the Key Bridge in Baltimore recently destroyed by a large freight ship. Mobasher says Dolphins likely would not have prevented much of the damage, but could have given people enough time to react and possibly prevented the six deaths resulting from the incident.

  • Algae asphalt paves way for cleaner roads

    Algae asphalt paves way for cleaner roads

    Millions of tons of asphalt used each year on roads and roofs contributes significantly to the release of toxic airborne particles into the atmosphere that pose a major risk to human and environmental health. Researchers are developing biobased additives for asphalt as a way to construct and maintain roads without those negative impacts. Among the new pavement materials is AirDuo, developed by Elham Fini, an associate professor in School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. Read more about Fini’s work.

  • Clearing the air: How we can fix the CO2 problem and make our lives better

    Clearing the air: How we can fix the CO2 problem and make our lives better

    Nick Rolston is among researchers working on ways to reduce the carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere to protect both the planet’s natural environment and its human inhabitants. Rolston, an assistant professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, says achieving the goal will require different solutions for almost every source of significant carbon emissions. Other Fulton Schools faculty members taking on the challenge include Matthew Green, an associate professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, and Klaus Lackner, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment. Green and Lackner lead ASU’s  Center for Negative Carbon Emissions. The article was also posted by AZ Big Media.

  • ASU scientists investigate potential superconductor

    ASU scientists investigate potential superconductor

    Superconductors may become even more super if the aspirations of Alexandra Navrotsky and Seth Tongay to enhance superconductivity come to fruition. Both are faculty members in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools. Superconductivity enables transmission of electricity without power loss, but only when materials are cooled to extremely low temperatures. Navrotsky and Tongay are working to develop superconductors that will operate optimally at room temperatures, which would enable technical applications to help overcome some of the world’s biggest energy challenges, enhance computing speed, enable innovative memory-storage devices and create highly sensitive sensors, among many more possibilities.

  • Sinking cities: How land subsidence is affecting Arizona

    Sinking cities: How land subsidence is affecting Arizona

    The science journal Nature reports that land in the world’s coastal cities is subsiding while also losing ground to rising sea levels. But it’s been discovered that the trend is also impacting places without expansive shorelines and with largely dry terrain, including Arizona. Geological surveys show more than 3,000 square miles in the state experiencing subsidence, increasingly in urban areas. Subsidence can be stopped or slowed, but not reversed, says Edward Kavazanjian, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment. The best remedy may be to quit pumping groundwater, Kavazanjian says, but that would mean facing a big challenge to find new sources of water,  including extensive water recycling.

  • Preventing falls for older adults

    Preventing falls for older adults

    More than 35 million older adults are seriously injured in falls each year and a large percentage of the victims die from their injuries, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That number is expected to rise as the baby boomer generation grows older. Thurmon Lockhart, a professor in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, talks about the physical and mental factors that are leading to the increases in dangerous falls and the kinds of interventions that can be taken to help make people less prone to falling and to develop techniques that could help prevent falls.

March

2024
  • ‘Absolutely a wake-up call’: Key Bridge tragedy has markings of 1980 Baltimore crash, but worse

    ‘Absolutely a wake-up call’: Key Bridge tragedy has markings of 1980 Baltimore crash, but worse

    The disastrous collapse that left six people presumed dead and took out one of the region’s key infrastructure links after a container ship, the Dali, slammed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge wasn’t the first such occurrence. Four decades ago, another container ship also lost power and hit the same bridge — but the bridge stood strong. Some experts doubt whether any feasible protective structure could have saved the bridge from a head-on strike from a ship as big as the Dali. But Barzin Mobasher, a structural engineering professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, says fact that the Key Bridge was hit twice by shipping vessels in 40 years should have led officials to take stronger safety precautions.

    See also: The key factors that contributed to the Baltimore bridge collapse, KOAM News Now, CCN ESEuro and later edition update by CNN.

    How to Understand the Baltimore Bridge Collapse, New York magazine, March 31

  • ASU researcher uses AI to help address global challenges

    ASU researcher uses AI to help address global challenges

    Amid warnings about the potential troubling impacts resulting from proliferating use of artificial intelligence, or AI, technology in a growing number of areas such as social media and consumer products, there are also views that AI can be used for the greater good of society. Hannah Kerner, as assistant professor of computer science in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, says AI and related machine learning tools could help confront challenges posed by climate change, poverty and food insecurity. Kerner and her colleagues are working on various ways to use AI as tool to benefit life on Earth.

  • ASU researcher’s microscale tech is chipping away at cancer, organ failure and neurological disease

    ASU researcher’s microscale tech is chipping away at cancer, organ failure and neurological disease

    Pioneering work in organ-on-a-chip technologies and related to contributions to engineering of biomimetic tissue-on-chip technologies and organoids for disease modeling and regenerative medicine are among accomplishments that have recently earned Mehdi Nikkah membership in the American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering College of Fellows. The associate professor in the School of Biological Health Systems Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, is currently expanding his work through efforts to make microchip technologies more accessible to the scientific and pharmaceutical communities for enhanced drug testing and accurate disease modeling.

  • Deepfake video of Kari Lake highlights potential problem in election season

    Deepfake video of Kari Lake highlights potential problem in election season

    The release of a deepfake video showing Arizona U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake is raising concerns over false images that can be easily manufactured through artificial intelligence, or AI, technology. A political consultant says the deepfake trend could seriously erode public trust. AI technology advances make it more difficult to discern if video images are real or have been manipulated, warns AI expert Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. Kambhampati says the days of relying only on one’s eyes and ears to discern real from fake are gone, but there are clues that can indicate whether images have been manipulated.

  • Yuma man is the first person to get the Neuralink brain implant device

    Yuma man is the first person to get the Neuralink brain implant device

    A 29-year-old Arizonan who was paralyzed in 2016 is the first to have a Neuralink implant placed on his brain. The implant, a product from the company of the same name owned by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, is designed to enable users to perform some actions through their thoughts. The achievement is lauded by Bradley Greger (pictured), an associate professor of neural engineering in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools. Greger says he believes the technology is safe and that its continuing development will produce insights into the functionality of the human brain. Greger was interviewed previously on KJZZ about how his research relates to this new technology.

    See also: Breakthroughs in Brain Implants, IEEE Pulse, March 19
    Greger outlines the range of neurological disorders that can be addressed by deep brain stimulation.

     
  • Deepfakes: Experts Speak On The Future of Authenticity Online

    Deepfakes: Experts Speak On The Future of Authenticity Online

    Advances in generative AI and other technologies used to create deepfake videos, photos and audio recordings are leading to increases in attempts to spread misinformation. The director of the News Co/Lab, an ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication initiative, sees this as a threatening trend that will make it more difficult for people to distinguish truth from manufactured fiction. Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Reality, part of the Fulton Schools, says developing technology to provide cryptographic authentication of information can be a solution, but until then caution and skepticism may be the best defenses against falling pretty to false images. Kambhampati is quoted on another AI-related issue in this report: In One Key A.I. Metric, China Pulls Ahead of the U.S.: Talent, The New York Times, March 22

  • Arizona State University helping prepare people for careers in growing semiconductor industry

    Arizona State University helping prepare people for careers in growing semiconductor industry

    With the federal government announcing a multibillion-dollar investment in the Intel company’s computer chip plants and ASU being awarded federal funding to help boost the U.S. semiconductor supply chain, Arizona looks poised to help ignite and benefit from a coming high-tech industry boom. ASU’s Southwest Advanced Prototyping Hub is already drawing on the expertise of at least a dozen Fulton Schools faculty members, along with a number of students, to become a force in advanced semiconductor research, development and workforce education. The Hub will help put Arizona on the map as a part of a major manufacturing and electronics ecosystem bolstering U.S. economic interests, says Fulton Schools Professor Seth Tongay.

  • First Future of Learning Community Fest celebrates innovation at ASU

    First Future of Learning Community Fest celebrates innovation at ASU

    At a recent event showcasing how technology is being used to help ASU students be successful, Joy Griffin and Nicholas Lindquist gave examples of how Fulton Schools students are benefiting from the ingenuity of faculty and staff members. Griffin, an assistant teaching professor in The Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools, talked about how she revamped a technology management course by putting less focus on textbook learning and lectures and more on engagement in active learning that included use of videos and podcasts. Nicholas Lindquist, a multimedia developer in the Fulton Schools Learning and Teaching Hub, helped Griffin create a “Meet the Faculty” video for students and 50-second video modules to clarify what students would be learning, why it mattered and how to be successful.

  • ASU, Deca Technologies partner on advanced packaging research and development

    ASU, Deca Technologies partner on advanced packaging research and development

    ASU is partnering with Deca Technologies, a leading provider of advanced wafer- and panel-level packaging technology, to develop North America’s first Fan-Out Wafer-Level Packaging research and development capability. The new Center for Advanced Wafer-Level Packaging Applications and Development will strive to significantly expand U.S. semiconductor manufacturing capabilities through advances in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, automotive electronics and high-performance computing. Zachary Holman, the Fulton Schools vice dean for research and innovation, says the venture will propel progress toward development of the next generation of microelectronics.

    See also: ASU and Deca Technologies team up for first such microchip research in North America, Arizona Republic, March 19

    ASU, Tempe’s Deca Technologies collaborate on new semiconductor advanced packaging research center, Phoenix Business Journal

    ASU and Deca lead North America’s first advanced fan-out wafer-level packaging R&D center, R&D World, March 19

    ASU and Deca team up to open research center, Evertig, March 20

  • ASU honors student awarded fellowship for women, gender minorities interested in aerospace industry

    ASU honors student awarded fellowship for women, gender minorities interested in aerospace industry

    Fulton Schools mechanical engineering student Ritisha Das, who is also majoring in mathematics, is among fewer than 50 students selected recently from more than 450 applicants for a 2024 Brooks Owens Fellowship. Das will do a three-month internship as a systems engineer working on satellites with Airbus U.S. Space & Defense in Arlington, Virginia. The fellowship program also provides students with one-on-one mentoring and meetings with congresswomen, astronauts, CEOs and company founders. Das intends to earn a doctoral degree in preparation for a career in rocket science. She hopes to become an astronaut who does research missions for NASA.

  • In Latest A.I. War Escalation, Elon Musk Releases Chatbot Code

    In Latest A.I. War Escalation, Elon Musk Releases Chatbot Code

    Battles are bubbling up to control the future of artificial intelligence, or AI, technology and being waged by prominent tech companies and wealthy entrepreneurs, especially Elon Musk (pictured). Much of the conflict revolves around debate over open sourcing, which reveals coding for all to use and view. Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor of computer science in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, contends open sourcing today’s AI technology is the safest approach, even though prominent companies such as xAI and Meta are not necessarily open-sourcing the technology. Some engineers argue that AI must be guarded against interlopers while others say the benefits of transparency outweigh the harm.

  • A Real Social Security Office Gave Me A Flyer With A Scam Phone Number On It

    A Real Social Security Office Gave Me A Flyer With A Scam Phone Number On It

    Even though a recent scam attempt meant to fool potential victims that they were communicating with a real U.S. Social Security Administration Office was detected and revealed, the incident still raises warning signs about scammers impersonating officials at government agencies. Recent experimental studies have also demonstrated that a significant percentage of people gave information to those impersonating scammers. Adam Doupé, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of ASU’s Center for Cybersecurity and Trusted Foundations comments on how even unsophisticated scammers can be successful.

  • Can An A.I. Make Plans?

    Can An A.I. Make Plans?

    There is significant controversy in the field of artificial intelligence, or AI, technology about whether large language models like the popular ChatGPT — which has demonstrated its capabilities in such things as writing essays and Shakespearean poetry — are also capable of actual reasoning and planning. The article focuses on recent work by Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor on the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and three of his colleagues whose research paper shows AI’s reasoning limitations, but notes AI can still function as an effective idea generator as part of a larger architecture that includes external verifiers. 

  • 9 ASU students, alumni among finalists for Presidential Management Fellows program

    9 ASU students, alumni among finalists for Presidential Management Fellows program

    For a third straight year, ASU is among the U.S. universities with the most finalists for the Presidential Management Fellows program. Dhrasti Dalal, a Fulton Schools biomedical engineering graduate student, is among the nine finalists selected to apply for two-year appointments that will prepare them for leadership roles in the U.S. government. Dalal is currently a graduate teaching assistant in the School of Biomedical and Health Systems Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools. ASU’s Office of National Scholarships Advisement provides preparation and advisement for students interested in applying for participation the Presidential Management Fellowship program.

  • Colorado’s I-70 Has America’s Most Notorious Ski Traffic. Is There a Solution?

    Colorado’s I-70 Has America’s Most Notorious Ski Traffic. Is There a Solution?

    Heavy motor vehicle traffic along one of the most scenic mountain corridors in the U.S. results in enough congestion to create traffic jams that make what could be a one-hour drive take most of the day. The snowy, icy conditions often result in vehicles spinning and sliding on the stretch of the Interstate 70 highway. Steven Polzin, research professor at ASU’s School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, explains why coming up with a solution to the problem can be complicated. For instance, widening the road would speed up traffic but also raise concerns about negative impacts on the environment, Polzin says.

  • ASU index ranks 12 companies as ‘trailblazers’ for equality in the workplace

    ASU index ranks 12 companies as ‘trailblazers’ for equality in the workplace

    At the recent ASU Difference Engine organization’s launch of the Women’s Power and Influence Index, several U.S. corporations were recognized as gender equality trailblazers. The index, established to address gender inequality in the workplace, was created by ASU’s California Center Broadway in Los Angeles. The center is a partnership of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, the W. P. Carey School of Business. the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at ASU. The index’s founding executive director says the organization aims to solve problems by developing solutions to social, political and economic inequality.

  • Federal official visits ASU to build upon microelectronics partnership, address semiconductor goals

    Federal official visits ASU to build upon microelectronics partnership, address semiconductor goals

    The assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs Ramin Toloui (pictured) came to Arizona recently to promote plans to open access for U.S. companies to the international semiconductor industry talent pipeline. The effort will be supported through a collaboration of the state department and the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering to diversify the global semiconductor ecosystem. Toloui toured ASU’s MacroTechnology Works, where Fulton Schools researchers are seeking to advance semiconductor development. The government agency wants to leverage ASU’s technical expertise and international industry relationships to help overcome constraints hampering progress by U.S. semiconductor manufacturing companies.

    See also: How ASU is helping the State Department secure microchip supply chains, Arizona Republic, March 8

    Top State Department official visits ASU to kick off international semiconductor supply chain initiative, ASU News, March 7

  • Advancing Women In Construction Club At ASU Encourages Women To Break Barriers

    Advancing Women In Construction Club At ASU Encourages Women To Break Barriers

    The relatively small number of females in the building professions has kept many women from pursuing or remaining in careers in the construction industry. At ASU, the student Advancing Women In Construction club, which is associated with the National Association of Women in Construction, is working to reverse the trend. Commenting on the challenges facing women in their fields are club members Abby Noel, a civil engineering undergrad, Megan Mehas, a construction management and technology undergrad, and doctoral student Monica Perrin, an assistant teaching professor and construction management graduate student in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of the Fulton Schools, which includes the Del E. Web School of Construction.

  • ASU ranked No. 9 among worldwide universities for US patents

    ASU ranked No. 9 among worldwide universities for US patents

    For the third time in the past decade ASU has been ranked by the National Academy of Inventors in the top 10 among patent-producing universities in the U.S., having most recently placed seventh among the top U.S. patent-producing universities and ninth worldwide. Fulton Schools faculty members helping ASU attain the high ranking include Associate Professor Elham Fini (pictured) and Assistant Professor Christian Hoover in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. ASU research produced 107 patents last year. Fini’s work includes developing novel low-carbon materials for use in construction. Hoover’s research interests includes multi-scale material characterization, materials and structural testing.

  • MyACTome acquired by health care management organization

    MyACTome acquired by health care management organization

    Seeking to help loved ones cope with debilitating mobility and cognitive challenges, Thurmon Lockhart, a biomedical engineering professor in the School of Biological and Heath Systems Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, years ago developed technology that provides smartphone-based fall risk detection. The venture became the basis for a startup that has recently been acquired by Phoenix-based Healthcare Outcomes Performance Co., one of the biggest musculoskeletal health care management companies in the U.S. The company plans to integrate the Lockhart Monitor into its digital patient outcome tracking platform that will provide real-time information to clinicians.

    See also: Public-Private Investments Leads ‘Fall Risk Technology’ to Major Acquisition, inBusiness-Greater Phoenix, March 18

  • Mechanical Trees Capture CO2

    Mechanical Trees Capture CO2

    Despite an urgent need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere to avert harmful environmental impacts, CO2 emissions continue to rise. Klaus Lackner, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of the Fulton Schools, is among the leading innovators in carbon capture technology that can remove CO2 from the air. The mechanical trees he has led the way in developing through work in ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions could significantly reduce the CO2, but it will take a vast deployment of Lackner’s technology to adequately reduce the growing threat to Earth and its inhabitants.

    See also:‘Once-Unthinkable’ Ways We Can Cool the Planet, Newser, March 10

  • New bill aims to restrict public safety use of drones in Arizona

    New bill aims to restrict public safety use of drones in Arizona

    A new bill recently introduced in the Arizona’s Senate would put tighter regulations on the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, mainly drones. The move is prompted by concerns about unrestricted drone use becoming a security threat. If the bill becomes law, it could affect acquisition of drones from state agencies, including police and fire departments, along with private companies who subcontract drones from state agencies. Drone expert Timothy Takahashi, a professor of practice in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, says drones could contain malware that could be activated by a hostile actor.

February

2024
  • GlobalResolve service-learning program expands students’ perspectives

    GlobalResolve service-learning program expands students’ perspectives

    Fulton Schools aerospace engineering honors student Taryn Wilson is among ASU students who have spent time contributing to work in Barbados to help communities with a regenerative agroforestry project. Other groups of ASU students are working on a water accessibility and affordability project in Mexico. The endeavors are part of GlobalResolve, a program in ASU’s Barrett, The Honors College, that aims to enhance students’ education through participation in real-world community improvement programs in other countries. Wilson, who is in her third semester with Global Resolve, says the program provides students rewarding opportunities to help find solutions in conservation, biodiversity, environmental sustainability, human rights and other critical areas.

  • ASU introduces trailblazing ‘stackable microcredentials’ pilot

    ASU introduces trailblazing ‘stackable microcredentials’ pilot

    Professors Lenore Dai and Subbarao Kambhampati (pictured) are among ASU faculty members involved in enabling students to interact with leaders and other professionals in the microelectronics industry. Those efforts make students aware of the skills and education required for careers in the semiconductor and related high-tech industries. Kambhampati is a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. Professor Dai is the Fulton Schools vice dean of faculty administration. Part of these efforts is a new stackable microcredentials pilot program designed to give students opportunities to upskill in areas of the tech industry in which demand for new skills and expertise is on the rise.

  • Biden administration taps $366M to fund clean energy for Native American tribes and rural areas

    Biden administration taps $366M to fund clean energy for Native American tribes and rural areas

    Native American reservations and communities in other rural areas, including some tribal lands in Arizona, will get access to renewable energy through 17 projects to be funded by the U.S. government. The projects are to be done in 20 states and involve 30 tribes. A $9 million project will partner ASU and the Hopi tribe in building solar energy panels and battery storage. It will provide a reliable source of power as well as cleaner energy for the tribe’s members, says Kristen Parrish, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. The article has also been published by U.S News & World Report, The Washington Post, ABC News and more than 20 additional news outlets.

  • ASU summit calls for innovations in atmospheric water harvesting technology

    ASU summit calls for innovations in atmospheric water harvesting technology

    Experts in a wide array of science, engineering and related technological fields gathered to explore targeting the Earth’s atmosphere to meet the challenge of providing adequate water for the needs of the planet’s inhabitants into the future. Paul Westerhoff, an ASU Regents Professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of the Fulton Schools Global Center for Water Technology, moderated the Atmospheric Water Harvesting Summit. The idea has already attracted interest from industries, including from the semiconductor manufacturing, health care and home appliance sectors, as well as from the military and data centers, Westerhoff noted.

  • What is carbon capture? And why is Hillsborough County looking into it?

    What is carbon capture? And why is Hillsborough County looking into it?

    Looking to take steps in response to the threat of climate change, Florida’s state government leaders are proposing the use of carbon capture systems. Among carbon capture technologies that have drawn the most attention is a “mechanical tree” that extracts carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The system was developed through research in the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, directed by Klaus Lackner, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. Florida legislators, other government officials, researchers and industry representatives are now debating the pros and cons of using carbon capture technology. Read more: First ‘MechanicalTree’ installed on ASU’s Tempe campus

  • Microchip Makes Emerging Tech More Accessible to Embedded Engineers

    Microchip Makes Emerging Tech More Accessible to Embedded Engineers

    Microchip Technology Inc. reports it is expanding opportunities for innovation and making emergency technology more available to engineers with its new user-friendly development kit for embedding processing and computing acceleration. The company says the kit enables rapid testing of application concepts, developing firmware applications, programming, and a debugging user code. Steve Osburn, a Fulton Schools assistant teaching professor in computer science and related areas, says students are already using the new technology to get valuable hands-on experience in developing solutions to real-world engineering challenges.

  • ASU faculty honored for contributions to extreme heat research

    ASU faculty honored for contributions to extreme heat research

    For their work to help prepare the world to take on the challenges presented by the rise in excessive extreme heat as one of the planet’s most critical environmental challenges, five ASU researchers have been recognized with a 2024 Media Achievement Award from the American Association of Geographers. The team includes Ariane Middel, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. The team’s efforts have helped educate the public about the threat of extreme heat and prompted heat-mitigation efforts by government agencies, including changes in public policy in Arizona. Numerous major media outlets have reported on the team’s efforts.

  • Drive Time Show Podcast: Conscription & Ageing

    Drive Time Show Podcast: Conscription & Ageing

    Conscription into military service had been a long-standing practice throughout history that today has been almost universally replaced by all-volunteer armies. Conscription provided a mechanism by which people in societies that are fragmenting into tribal communities could work with others, thereby fostering social cohesion, says Brad Allenby, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and founding chair of the Consortium for Emerging Technologies, Military Operations, and National Security. On this podcast, Allenby discusses the societal ramifications of a waning sense of national duty reflected by a lack of conscription today, when all branches of the U.S. military have fallen short of their enlistment goals.

  • U.S. unveils new ITSI initiative to build resilient international microelectronics supply chain

    U.S. unveils new ITSI initiative to build resilient international microelectronics supply chain

    The Fulton Schools will have a major role in ASU’s involvement in a new cooperative venture being initiated under the International Technology Security and Innovation Fund created by the U.S. CHIPS Act of 2022. U.S. semiconductor manufacturers will be part of an effort to strengthen an international supply chain for their industry. As part of the effort, the U.S. Department of State has awarded ASU a multimillion-dollar cooperative agreement to help establish the agreement. The plan involves a multi-regional initiative to be led by the Fulton Schools to support the State Department’s effort to develop and diversify a global semiconductor ecosystem.

  • Structural cascade: Broken rods were just a symptom of RI’s Washington Bridge crisis

    Structural cascade: Broken rods were just a symptom of RI’s Washington Bridge crisis

    In engineering, the term “necking” is used to describe how a steel rod fails under tension. There’s evidence that necking contributed to the recent structural failure of a major bridge in Rhode Island. But Barzin Mobasher, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, stresses that other factors were involved in causing the threatening deterioration of the Washington Bridge. Mobasher and another engineering professor talked to Rhode Island news media about what public officials everywhere can do to be aware of signs of such infrastructure erosion and to prevent the occurrence of similar threats to public safety in the future.

    See a follow-up article in which Barzin Mobasher is also quoted: Was their ‘necking’ on bridge rods and should it have been caught? RIDOT backpedals on answer, Providence Journal, February 29

  • Arizona State University to Help Lead Semiconductor Supply Chain Diversification Initiative

    Arizona State University to Help Lead Semiconductor Supply Chain Diversification Initiative

    The U.S. State Department will be supported by the Fulton Schools in leading a new initiative aimed at boosting  semiconductor assembly, testing and packaging capabilities in International Technology Security and Innovation partner countries in the Americas and Indo-Pacific region. The State Department’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs has awarded ASU a cooperative agreement that includes funding for the project. The goal of the initiative is to equip workforce development programs to assist partner nations in building workforce skills to advance technology and spur economic growth.

    See also: ASU, federal officials launch initiative to boost microelectronics supply chain, workforce, Phoenix Business Journal, February 21

  • Innovations In Light Rail Expansion: How Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Enters the Mix

    Innovations In Light Rail Expansion: How Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Enters the Mix

    An innovative concrete mix that is more environmentally friendly and economical than convention mixes is being used in the Phoenix area, thanks in part to Barzin Mobasher, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. Mobasher has overseen use of the advanced fiber-reinforced concrete in the expansion of the Valley Metro light rail line. The new material is bolstering the sustainability of the rail system’s infrastructure, improving cost efficiency and reducing time needed for the labor to boost the system’s resiliency. Research led by Mobasher has also helped to reduce emission of greenhouse gases in the production of cement for the new form of concrete.

  • ASU ranked No. 9 worldwide for US patents in 2023

    ASU ranked No. 9 worldwide for US patents in 2023

    ASU has moved up two places to reach 9th place on the National Academy of Inventors rankings of the Top 100 Worldwide Universities fueling innovation through research and development advances that earned U.S. utility patents. Among the recent ASU patent winners are Assistant Professor Christian Hoover and Associate Professor Elham Fini, faculty members in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, and Associate Professor Jennifer Blain Christen, a faculty member in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering. Both schools are part of the Fulton Schools. ASU joins Harvard, Stanford and MIT among the universities currently ranked in the academy’s top 10.

  • ‘The problem was severe in July’: Expert analyzes Washington Bridge for NBC 10 I-Team

    ‘The problem was severe in July’: Expert analyzes Washington Bridge for NBC 10 I-Team

    A news team looking for an expert in the durability and weakness of various construction materials came to Barzin Mobasher to assess the cause-and-effect factors that led to dangerous cracking on a major bridge in Rhode Island. Mobasher, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, looked at inspection records and photos of the damage to the bridge to assess structural stress conditions that likely caused the cracks on the large bridge. He explained that more than simply a cosmetic repair will be needed to make the bridge safe and prevent future problems. Officials are now waiting for a full structural analysis of the bridge’s support systems to determine if it can be adequately repaired or instead needs to be replaced.

  • Tempe startup to roll out EV charging around Valley after ASU pitch competition award

    Tempe startup to roll out EV charging around Valley after ASU pitch competition award

    Tempe-based electric vehicle charging startup BreatheEV won funding at the recent ASU Innovation Open business pitch competition. The company will use the funding to expand its sites in the Phoenix area. BreathEV was one of eight teams that won a combined $400,000 in funding from among the 27 student-led startups from around the world to compete. Breathe EV co-founder Max Bregman said the event also gave student teams valuable opportunities for business networking. Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools of Engineering, said the Innovation Open is providing student startups both a way to bring news ideas to the marketplace and to make an impact with what they are learning about engineering. The article was also published on the Arizona Technology Council website.

  • Black ASU researcher’s hydration backpack designed to better fit plus-sized community

    Black ASU researcher’s hydration backpack designed to better fit plus-sized community

    A new outdoor gear brand, Conscious Gear, developed through research by ASU’s Charlotte Bowens, features a hydration backpack designed to comfortably fit larger people. The idea for Vestapak arose from Bowen taking on the challenge of getting physical fit and losing weight while being borderline diabetic. The backpack makes it easier for people to move and to stay hydrated during exercise. Bowen, administrative director of the Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, was aided by Local First Arizona, a business accelerator for Black Entrepreneurs in Arizona.

    Read more: ASU staffer’s design for outdoor recreation gets national attention, ASU News

  • Welcome to Silicon Desert: How Biden helped boost an Arizona boomtown

    Welcome to Silicon Desert: How Biden helped boost an Arizona boomtown

    Phoenix and the surrounding area are among the locales where the U.S. Chips and Science Act is sparking large investments into manufacturing sites for the components that are powering modern electronics. Dozens of companies have been coming to the region to supply the vast new high-tech factories. In addition, ASU is taking steps to help meet the demand for engineers for these industrial facilities. Two of ASU’s newest Fulton Schools, the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks and the new School of Integrated Engineering, focus on education and research in areas geared to developing an engineering workforce pipeline for the expanding semiconductor chips manufacturing sectors.

  • Who Tests If Heat-Proof Clothing Actually Works? These Poor Sweating Mannequins

    Who Tests If Heat-Proof Clothing Actually Works? These Poor Sweating Mannequins

    Among new technologies used to find ways humans can cope with a warming climate is a mannequin that sweats. Wired with sensors, with cables and pipework under its surface, and pores that open and excrete liquid when it gets warm, ANDI was developed for a team of ASU researchers, including Konrad Rykaczewski an associate professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, and Ariane Middel, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence. Both schools are part of the Fulton Schools. Beyond revealing the impacts of heat on humans, ANDI enables researchers to test cooling strategies to help people persevere in hot environments. (Full access to WIRED articles is limited to subscribers. Others can view a limited number of articles over a designated time period.)

  • AI Technology & The First Amendment

    AI Technology & The First Amendment

    Arizona lawmakers want to regulate use of artificial intelligence, or AI, in producing video images and other recordings, making it a felony to distribute fake visual and sound-recording material. Under the proposal, violations could result in a prison term. Lawmakers in other states are also considering ways to stop these “deep fakes,” but civil rights activists contend regulating AI-generated images and speech would violate free-speech rights. Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor and AI expert in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, comments on the growth in the use of deep fakes. He sees the issue continuing to challenge the legal system.

  • Google Rebrands Its AI Chatbot as Gemini to Take On ChatGPT

    Google Rebrands Its AI Chatbot as Gemini to Take On ChatGPT

    Google is unveiling its new Gemini Advanced chatbot to improve its share of the artificial intelligence, or AI, market against OpenAI’s successful subscription service ChatGPT Plus. Google is consolidating many of its AI products through its new Gemini AI model, which it heralds as the new foundation for its AI services. Google will offer access to the most powerful version of its chatbot and to OpenAI’s new GPT store, which offers custom chatbot functions. AI expert Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, says it will be interesting to see how Google demonstrates it has made meaningful improvements. (Full access to WIRED articles is limited to subscribers. Others other can view a limited number of articles over a designated period of time.)

  • Urban transit agencies fear ‘death spiral’ as fewer people ride public transportation after COVID

    Urban transit agencies fear ‘death spiral’ as fewer people ride public transportation after COVID

    The growing work-from-home trend, continuing concern about the spread of the COVID-19 disease and fear of urban crime are among reasons public transit systems in cities are in a downward spiral. Urban transportation agencies are concerned the drop in ridership will lead to decreases in bus and rail service, worsening the hardship on commuters and transit operations. Steven Polzin, a professor and transportation researcher in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Build Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, says the situation is creating the most widespread mass transit crisis in the U.S. in the past half-century. Even government subsidies and fare hikes are unlikely to provide a solution, Polzin says.

  • Los Angeles’s Floods Show Why Sewers Matter

    Los Angeles’s Floods Show Why Sewers Matter

    Sewers and drainage systems are among things that rarely come to mind when people think about what is essential to the safety of their communities. Two atmospheric river storms that have battered a large swath of Southern California should provide a lesson about the danger and damage that can result from inadequate sewer and drainage infrastructure, says Mikhail Chester, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of ASU’s Metis Center for Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering. A state of emergency was declared in the Los Angeles area as people evacuated some places in the region. Chester and others note that climate change could cause more frequent atmospheric rivers.

  • New Direct Air Carbon Capture System Captures Water, Too

    New Direct Air Carbon Capture System Captures Water, Too

    A U.S. startup company has attracted funding to move its new carbon capture and water recovery system to the market. A carbon capture study coauthored by Professor Klaus Lackner, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and founding director of ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, helped to generate support for the carbon capture technology industry (Lackner is misidentified in the article as a University of Arizona researcher). He affirms the moisture capture function of the new technology as a being a novel advance in the field.

  • ASU’s online programs ranked among best in the nation

    ASU’s online programs ranked among best in the nation

    Three ASU online graduate degree programs rank among best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. Among them, three Fulton Schools graduate programs were ranked among the top 10. The Fulton Schools master’s in engineering programs overall rank No. 7 for U.S. military veterans. The school ranked No. 7 in online graduate programs in industrial engineering, No. 5 in online engineering management graduate programs and No. 4 for online electrical engineering programs. In 2023, ASU Online had  more than 88,000 degree-seeking, online students, and more the 90,000 graduates of online programs.

  • How bad is Tesla’s hazardous waste problem in California?

    How bad is Tesla’s hazardous waste problem in California?

    At least 25 California counties have sued the automaker Tesla, claiming the company’s hazardous waste disposal violated state health and safety codes. Used lubricating oils, brake fluids, lead acid batteries, aerosols, antifreeze, waste solvents, paint and e-waste are among the contaminants listed in the allegations. It’s possible Tesla simply had a breakdown in its hazardous waste management plan, says Treavor Boyer, a professor and chair of the environmental engineering program in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of the Fulton Schools. Nevertheless, Boyer says, the situation appears to be a violation of California mandates that are more stringent than federal regulations.

  • DoD officials convene at ASU to learn about university-led microelectronics hub

    DoD officials convene at ASU to learn about university-led microelectronics hub

    The leader of U.S. Department of Defense microelectronics and engineering efforts recently met with ASU officials and faculty members at Skysong, The ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center, to discuss progress being made by the new ASU Southwest Accelerated Prototyping Hub. Established to jump-start microelectronics research and development projects funded by the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act, the hub now has 130 partners from corporations, startup companies, national laboratories and academic institutions. Among other things, the hub will provide small businesses the means to prototype lab-to-fab technologies, says Krishnendu Chakrabarty, Fulton Professor of Microelectronics in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, and the hub’s chief technology officer.

  • ASU team awarded $1.9M grant from EPA to support wildfire preparedness across Arizona

    ASU team awarded $1.9M grant from EPA to support wildfire preparedness across Arizona

    A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant will fund research at ASU aimed at giving Arizona communities effective defenses against the harmful impacts of wildfire smoke. Wildfires in the state and elsewhere across the U.S. are increasing due to climate change and other factors, resulting in releases of dangerous pollutants and gases, says Jean Andino, an associate professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, who will lead the research project. Andino will work with Megan Jehn, a professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, and Melissa Guarardo, an assistant research professor in the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation.  

  • How do you design clothes for children undergoing chemo?

    How do you design clothes for children undergoing chemo?

    A cross-disciplinary project is teaming ASU engineering and fashion students to design clothes to meet the needs of children undergoing chemotherapy. The project is being by supervised by Associate Professor Shawn Jordan, interim director of the School of Integrated Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, and ASU School of Art Associate Professor Galina Mihaleva. Jordan and Mihaleva say students are collaborating effectively to design clothes that reflect fashion aesthetics while also incorporating technology such as sensors and microcomputers to monitor the health conditions of the youngsters. Art and engineering students have had different ideas about what to do, the professors say, but are finding common ground to best serve the children.  

  • How SRP uses lasers and AI to maintain aging Arizona dams

    How SRP uses lasers and AI to maintain aging Arizona dams

    Salt River Project, or SRP, the utility operation that provides water and power to the Phoenix metro area and much of central Arizona, is working with ASU researchers to use new technologies to maintain efficient operation of its facilities. SRP will use Light Detection and Ranging, or LIDAR, to assess the conditions of turbines at its dams and Digital Twin technology to assess the need for maintenance of dams. Ricardo Eiris, an assistant professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, says the technologies will enable more precise evaluation of wear and tear on SRP facilities. The ASU/SRP collaboration will also provide education to ASU engineering students. (Access may require subscribing or signing up for access.)

    Eiris was also interviewed in news video reports about the project on local TV news programs. See ABC15 News, 3TV/CBS 5 News, KPHO-PHX (CBS 5 News)

January

2024
  • ASU professor on Neuralink’s next steps as first human trial of brain implant begins

    ASU professor on Neuralink’s next steps as first human trial of brain implant begins

    Recent research aimed at enabling advances in medical technology is raising hope that a device now undergoing testing could make it possible for people with paralysis to control external devices with their thoughts. Bradley Greger, an associate professor of neural engineering in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, talks about progress being made in neural engineering and the development of this type of control device by entrepreneur Elon Musk’s Neurolink company. Greger says more rigorous research and testing will be required, but he thinks the technology could be available by prescription from physicians and surgeons in several years.

    See more coverage: KJZZ News (NPR), News Medical-Life Sciences, Medriva, The Associated Press, BBC, Australian Broadcast Co., Ma Clinique, Pravda, Gadget , Futuro Prossimo, Morning Wave in Busan

  • A win for the environment and the economy in the Southwest

    A win for the environment and the economy in the Southwest

    Climate solutions that will also provide economic opportunities is a major motivating feature of a new ASU-led initiative funded by the National Science Foundation, or NSF. The Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine, or SWSIE, is among proposals the NSF selected to establish a Regional Innovation Engine to develop research and technology transfer hubs. SWSIE will combine expertise from more than 50 partners from academia, industry, nonprofit and entrepreneurial organizations, and local and regional governments. ASU’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory  is leading efforts for SWSIE, supported by ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. The project will also draw insight from faculty members in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools.

    See also: ASU launches water and climate-focused ‘Regional Innovation Engine’, AZ Big Media, January 30

    ASU to lead first-of-its-kind regional innovation engine to confront climate change, KJZZ (NPR), February 1

  • LLM Search Engine Shamelessly Spins Fluff

    LLM Search Engine Shamelessly Spins Fluff

    Artificial intelligence, or AI, based search engines and large language models, or LLMs, can offer valuable capabilities. But there are also risks of significant shortcomings when combining the use of LLMs and AI-based search engines in particular ways, says Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor and AI expert in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. LLMs essentially search by imagination and are prone to “hallucinate” when used with AI-based search engines, Kambhampati says. In addition, a recent legal battle between The New York Times and OpenAI, shows how language model makers could face lawsuits for diverting traffic from the original websites from which search engines are drawing information.

  • Theta Rau Offers A Brotherhood For Engineering Students While Developing Professionalism

    Theta Rau Offers A Brotherhood For Engineering Students While Developing Professionalism

    The photo shows members of ASU’s chapter of Theta Tau participating in the co-ed fraternity’s game night. But most of the national student organization’s activities aim to provide its members career development pursuits to prepare them for productive careers in engineering. Theta Tau members are getting opportunities to improve their resumes, network and build relationships with fellow students and engineering professionals, develop organizational and communication skills, and find internships. A leader of the fraternity says the group is always looking for new members who are passionate about developing professional skills and participating in community service projects.

  • Combatting Urban Heat: The Breakthrough Research of ASU’s SHaDE Lab

    Combatting Urban Heat: The Breakthrough Research of ASU’s SHaDE Lab

    Researchers in ASU’s Sensible Heatscapes and Digital Environments, or SHaDe, Lab are continuing to draw on expertise in engineering, computer science, geography, environmental science, sustainability and related fields in their quest to discover more effective climate control strategies to mitigate heat in urban environs like those of Phoenix and its neighboring desert cities and towns. Lab director Ariane Middel (pictured), an associate professor in the  School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, has been overseeing an expansion of the lab’s efforts that includes a steady increase in international partners. The growing scope and scale of research endeavors promise to produce significant solutions to climate challenges.

  • Preparing for the age of AI scams

    Preparing for the age of AI scams

    Advances in artificial intelligence, or AI, technology make it easy to replicate peoples’ voices and to then manipulate them to perpetuate scams. Only several seconds of an AI recording is enough to clone and reproduce individuals’ voices in ways that infuse them with emotional tone, says Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor and AI expert in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, one of the Fulton Schools. On this podcast, Kambhampati and others talk about the proliferating use of AI to propagate fakery on the internet and by telephone. He says the trend is unfortunately casting a bad light on AI, a technology that otherwise has the potential for socially beneficial uses.

    See a separate post of the podcast here: Preparing For The Age of AI Scams, NPR, January 25

  • The Opioid Crisis Is Now Being Tracked with Wastewater

    The Opioid Crisis Is Now Being Tracked with Wastewater

    Advances in wastewater epidemiology have made it possible to detect opioids and other drugs in sewage systems, enabling public health agencies to discover signs of the spread of disease and increases in drug use in various areas. Such wastewater testing techniques helped to detect the presence and spread of the virus that causes COVID when the disease first erupted and became a pandemic. As such wastewater monitoring improves it’s more likely it will be used to also test for other chemicals and substances that are indicators of a variety of health threats, says Erin Driver, an environmental engineer in ASU’s Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, directed by Rolf Halden, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of the Fulton Schools.

  • The Libres Project: Interdisciplinary Approach to Ending Gendered Violence In El Salvador

    The Libres Project: Interdisciplinary Approach to Ending Gendered Violence In El Salvador

    Intimate partner violence, femicide and sexual violence that disproportionately affects women and girls are among the forms of gender-based violence a team of ASU researchers is working to help stop in El Salvador. Professor Ram Pendyala, director of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, is the co-principal investigator assigned to coordinate the public transportation aspects of the project. The goal is to improve the safety of people using public transportation and in public places, especially women and LGBTQ+ community members. The team plans to implement strategies and interventions and then assess how well those efforts are helping to reduce gender-based violence.

  • DOE program aims to enhance, protect America’s power grid

    DOE program aims to enhance, protect America’s power grid

    ASU will take the lead on one of 12 recently announced major projects aimed at providing the U.S. a more secure and resilient power grid. The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded ASU more than $4 million to fund grid modernization work to be supervised by Samuel Ariaratnam, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of the Fulton Schools. An expert in trenchless technology, Ariaratnam will oversee development of a water-jet underground construction tool to deploy electrical cables and conduits underground as part of a system that will reduce the risk of damaging existing utilities by eliminating the need for a hard drill bit while also reducing costs and construction times.

  • Crafting Clean Water in the Navajo Nation

    Crafting Clean Water in the Navajo Nation

    A cross-cultural collaboration is teaming environmental engineers, scientists and artisans in developing a water filtration system for the Navajo Nation, which extends across parts of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. Pollutants in the region have long made it necessary for residents to transport water themselves or have it delivered from distant sources. The project entails providing water in ways that accommodate Navajo culture, such as water filtration systems that serve the needs of makers of the Navajo Nation’s prized handcrafted pottery. Environmental engineer Otakuye Conroy-Ben, an assistant professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of the Fulton Schools, and a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, comments on challenges the project presents in achieving culturally centered technological advances.

  • What Annoys Subbarao the Most?

    What Annoys Subbarao the Most?

    From the viewpoint of his decades of experience as a computer science teacher and researcher, Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, sees things he likes and does not like about paths the field is taking, particularly in regard to the rapidly emerging use of artificial intelligence, or AI, technology and Large Language Models, or LLMs. First of all, AI and LLMs are not actually intelligent or knowledgeable in the basic human sense. AI and LLMs are instead merely retrievers of information, although very prolific retrievers, Kambhampati says. LLMs can only guess about what is correct, and cannot verify information they gather, only accumulate it, he adds. One of  his current focuses in the field is finding ways to develop and encourage better human-AI interaction that might actually aid human reasoning.

    See Also, LLMs are just like Toothpaste, Analytics India Magazine/AI Origins & Evolution, January 3

  • Sowing The Seeds Of Innovation: Flinn Foundation Grants Awarded to ASU Labs

    Sowing The Seeds Of Innovation: Flinn Foundation Grants Awarded to ASU Labs

    Pursuits by ASU researchers to help people with autism are among  efforts that have earned them Flinn Foundation seed grants to advance their work. Among the grant recipients are Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of ASU’s Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes and James Adams, President’s Professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, also part of the Fulton schools, and the undergraduate program chair for material science and engineering. They will use the new funds to explore expanding the use of microbiota transplantation to help control some of the more severe impacts of autism.

  • Waymo’s Driverless Cars Aim to Revolutionize Freeway Travel

    Waymo’s Driverless Cars Aim to Revolutionize Freeway Travel

    The pioneering autonomous vehicle technology company Waymo plans to bring driverless cars to Phoenix freeways for testing. The company’s leaders envision a future in which driverless cars substantially reduce travel times, skillfully navigate highway traffic and produce more streamlined and efficient transportation systems. Aviral Shrivastava, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, has been studying and advancing driverless automobile technology for about a decade. His work currently focuses on developing algorithms designed to enable automobiles to replicate the behavior of human drivers while prioritizing safety.

    See also: What to know about Waymo’s plan to drive on freeways, ABC 15 News Arizona, January 10

  • Brain Bank Researcher Featured in Emmy-Winning Documentary on Nanoplastics

    Brain Bank Researcher Featured in Emmy-Winning Documentary on Nanoplastics

    New research reveals the potential for plastics to have impacts on the brain and its cognitive functions. Details are reported in the recent PBS documentary “We’re All Plastic People Now,” which won an Emmy Award. Among those featured in the documentary are David Davis, a University of Miami research professor and associate director of the Brain Endowment Bank, and Fulton Schools Professor Rolf Halden, director of the Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering at ASU. In the film, Halden presents tests results showing individuals can have 80 or more plastic-related compounds circulating in their blood. More findings are to be published later this year. The documentary’s director is pictured with his Emmy Award.

  • Facilities developments meet growing demand across ASU campuses

    Facilities developments meet growing demand across ASU campuses

    ASU’s major investments to expand educational resources for students are reflected in a substantial list of new buildings and facilities to be constructed on the university’s campuses. One of the most extensive projects is Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 12 on the Polytechnic campus, scheduled to open in 2025. It will be the new home of the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, one of the Fulton Schools, which will include office, meeting, instructional, research and collaboration spaces. In addition, renovations at the Bateman Physical Science Center on the Tempe campus will provide more classrooms and labs for undergraduate engineering and natural sciences education.

  • A ‘living skin’ is protecting the Great Wall of China, scientists say

    A ‘living skin’ is protecting the Great Wall of China, scientists say

    Tiny, rootless plants and microorganisms known as biocrusts are helping to protect some landmark sites and other valuable lands by forming miniature ecosystems that are preserving culturally and historically important environments. Among those places is the Great Wall of China, which is in an area where two-thirds of the land is extensively stabilized by biocrusts. Emmanuel Salifu, an assistant professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, who studies nature-based sustainable engineering solutions, explains how biocrusts could be used in efforts to address structural conservation challenges around the world through their capacity to improve the structural integrity, longevity and durability of earthen structures.

  • LLMs are just like Toothpaste

    LLMs are just like Toothpaste

    Increasingly versatile artificial intelligence, or AI, technology is prompting urgent legal questions about what constitutes plagiarism and the parameters of copyright ownership. With the expanding abilities of Open AI, ChatGPT and large language models, or LLMs, debate is heating up about the broad ramifications of these unrestrained information retrieval tools. Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, at Arizona State University and the director of the Yochan Lab, leads research on decision-making and planning in the context of human-aware AI systems. He comments on the challenges and complexities involved in trying to navigate a path through the quandaries revolving around such issues.

  • Fixing the plastic problem

    Fixing the plastic problem

    Fulton Schools faculty researchers, students and alumni are among those leading the way in efforts to find solutions to the growing problems caused by plastic pollution. That is one of the major thrusts of research at the Biodesign Center for Health Engineering directed by Rolf Halden, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of the Fulton Schools. Charles Rolsky, a Fulton Schools graduate who has collaborated with Halden, is carrying on the work as science director of the nonprofit Plastic Oceans International. In addition, Fulton Schools mechanical engineering doctoral student Garvit Nayyar (pictured) is working on making a less harmful plastic with materials that decompose rather than pollute.

     

  • Revolutionary Charging Station in Quartzite Paves the Way for a Sustainable Future

    Revolutionary Charging Station in Quartzite Paves the Way for a Sustainable Future

    Nxu, a company based in Tempe and Mesa, Arizona, is opening a megawatt plus charging station in the town of Quartzsite, between Phoenix and Los Angeles, that will be equipped primarily to serve electric powered semi-trucks. The company’s management foresees a growing need for services for commercial freight trucks that run on electricity and expanding business opportunities across the U.S. and internationally. Steven Polzin, a professor and transportation researcher in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Build Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, agrees with that outlook, but says today’s charging stations will need to be prepared to adapt as electric vehicle technology begins to evolve.

    See Also: Nxu working to create megawatt plus charging for commercial EV trucks in Quartzsite, Fox 10 News Phoenix, December 29

    The Future of Electric Commercial Vehicles: Introducing the Next Generation of Charging Solutions, Motor Mouth, January 1

December

2023
  • Arizona State University is building Science and Technology facility on Mesa campus

    Arizona State University is building Science and Technology facility on Mesa campus

    A major construction project on ASU’s Polytechnic campus to be completed next year will provide facilities for the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, one of the Fulton Schools. The Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 12 will be part of the new Polytechnic Innovation Zone within a newly established Innovation Research District. With labs for research in additive manufacturing, robotics for smart manufacturing and industry automation, cyber manufacturing and operations research, semiconductor manufacturing, and manufacturing systems for the energy sector, the Fulton Schools will expand efforts to prepare students to provide engineering solutions for major societal challenges. Read more from the East Valley Tribune and the Arizona Republic in posts below dated December 15 and December 5.

  • To avoid solar graveyard, panel recycling is increasing in the United States

    To avoid solar graveyard, panel recycling is increasing in the United States

    A touted benefit of moving away from using fossil fuels has been that it would help reduce harmful pollutants in the atmosphere. But one of the growing energy sources that was to provide clean energy now poses an emerging pollution challenge that could hinder the battle against climate change. The disposal of an increasing number of old solar energy panels that have reached their retirement age is today contributing to the problem. The situation makes it crucial to step up efforts to recycle solar panels, which will prevent them from becoming a pollutant, says Meng Tao, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering, one of the Fulton Schools. While solar panel recycling is increasing somewhat, Tao notes there are logistical and policy obstacles to be overcome to pave the way for adequately expanding these operations.

    See Also: Entrepreneur Recycles Metal and Other Parts of Old Solar Panels, VOA (Voice of America News), December 28

    Urban mining: Solar panel recycling is on the rise in the United States, Nation World News, December 26

    ‘Urban Mining’ offers green solution to old solar panels, The News International, December 24, KPVI news, Pocatello, Idaho, December 23, and The Jakarta Post, Indonesia, December 23

  • AI breakthroughs at ASU: Speech restoration, cancer cell tracking, and fall prevention with wearables

    AI breakthroughs at ASU: Speech restoration, cancer cell tracking, and fall prevention with wearables

    Research by faculty members in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, is exploring the use of artificial intelligence, or AI, technology to help provide solutions to health threats. Professor Bradley Greger is using AI to assist patients in communicating their thoughts by using a non-invasive technique to help gain an understanding of language processing in the brain. Patients will be able to speak mentally, and an AI tool can interpret their thoughts into clear language. Assistant Professor Christopher Plaisier is experimenting with using AI to track cancer cell life cycles to help treat and manage certain cancers. Professor Thurmon Lockhart is designing wearable devices to track data like body posture and blood pressure to make near-accurate fall predictions.

  • NXP Semiconductor partnership to boost manufacturing packaging in Arizona

    NXP Semiconductor partnership to boost manufacturing packaging in Arizona

    MacroTechnology Works, ASU’s flagship microelectronics research and development facility, continues to expand the scope of its engineering related endeavors. A partnership of the Arizona Commerce Authority and the NXP Semiconductors company will enhance the capabilities of MacroTechnology Works in microelectronics packaging. The collaboration will provide more opportunities to train students, particularly Fulton Schools engineering students, in the production of semiconductors and advanced manufacturing systems. Sally Morton, the executive vice president of ASU’s Knowledge Enterprise, says the partnership represents a step toward “the future of university research” that will prepare students to become leaders in many facets of advanced manufacturing enterprises and processes.

  • ASU inaugurates US-ASEAN Center in partnership with Department of State

    ASU inaugurates US-ASEAN Center in partnership with Department of State

    The goal of the new United States and Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or U.S.-ASEAN, Center in Washington, D.C., is to strengthen cultural and economic relationships between the U.S. and those associated Asian nations. The center’s recent opening was celebrated by officials from the U.S. Department of State and ASU, which will have a leading role in the center’s government, industry and academic partnerships through the new U.S.-ASEAN Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation Program to develop work-ready engineers and scientists. Jeffrey Goss, executive director of the office of Global Outreach and Extended Education, part of the Fulton Schools, says ASU and the new center will work to build economic opportunity for decades to come.

  • ASU staffer’s design for outdoor recreation gets national attention

    ASU staffer’s design for outdoor recreation gets national attention

    Charlotte Bowens’ ultralight hydration vest, designed to help larger people more easily drink water while exercising, was chosen by readers of the national newspaper USA Today as one of the best gifts for outdoor enthusiasts. She later won $10,000 for the vest developed by her startup company, Conscious Gear, in a Demo Day pitch competition held by ASU’s J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute, followed by an equal amount in ASU’s Global Sport Institute Venture Challenge  pitch competition. Bowens, administrative director for the Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, now  plans to offer more Conscious Gear products.

  • Scholarship supports the Theory of Embedded Intelligence in students’ honors theses

    Scholarship supports the Theory of Embedded Intelligence in students’ honors theses

    ASU’s Mensch Prize provides six $1,000 awards each year to students in ASU’s Barrett, The Honor College, who complete their thesis work on a project that focuses on applications of the Theory of Embedded Intelligence in engineering and applied sciences, social sciences, humanities, physical sciences, biological sciences or fine and performing arts. The winners of the 2023 awards include Ashley Tse, now a Fulton Schools biomedical engineering graduate student, and Erin Burgard, a senior environmental engineering student. Applications to compete for 2024 Mensch Prizes are now available through January 12. Students who apply are advised to connect what they learn from the theory to ideas and endeavors that would have beneficial effects on society.

  • Arizona State Plans $185M Science and Technology Building

    Arizona State Plans $185M Science and Technology Building

    Through one of the largest investments on any of ASU’s campuses, work is underway on the Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 12, or ISTB12, on the university’s Polytechnic campus in Mesa. The university is pursuing partnerships with private industry for the work to be done in an area being called the Polytechnic Innovation Zone, which will include the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, one of the Fulton Schools. The goal is to work with industry partners to make advances in aviation, renewable energy, human-technology integration, digital manufacturing and other related areas, with a strong focus on project-based learning and interdisciplinary research laboratories.

    See Also: ASU makes massive Polytechnic investment, Ahwatukee Foothills News, Dececmber 15

  • Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing medical research

    Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing medical research

    Advances in the use of artificial intelligence, or AI, technology to restore people’s language abilities after they have suffered brain damage, to expand knowledge about the growth of cancer cells and to develop tools to prevent injuries from falls are among the notable steps being made in separate efforts by Professor Thurmon Lockhart, Associate Professor Bradley Greger (pictured) and Assistant Professor Christopher Plaisier in the School of Biological Health Systems and Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools. While warnings continue to be voiced about potential drawbacks of using AI in many engineering applications, researchers are also touting the ability of AI to gather and process information as an effective aid to progress in medical research.

  • Students collaborate on wearable tech for hospitalized children

    Students collaborate on wearable tech for hospitalized children

    ASU engineering and fashion students collaborated on designing and fabricating clothing that featured integrated technology to help youngsters undergoing chemotherapy. Students in an Embedded Systems Design course created clothing to help calm the children and monitor their health conditions. Students in a Fashion Design and Wearable Technology course designed garments that are soft, warming and adaptable to the administering of medical treatment. Shawn Jordan, an associate professor in The Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools, had co-taught the design course a year ago with Galina Mihaleva, an associate professor at the fashion design school. Their collaboration led to the recent project for the young patients.

  • Students connect at Ignite storytelling event

    Students connect at Ignite storytelling event

    ASU’s Changemaker Central, an organization of students interested in leading social change, recently presented its storytelling event Ignite. Each semester, it gives speakers opportunities to talk about their ideas, passions and personal experiences. Opening the most recent Ignite session was Fulton Schools undergraduate biomedical engineering student Cohen Jefferies, whose studies focus on biomedical devices. His talk at this event focused on his experiences in discovering personal strengths. His fellow students talked about their experiences as an international student, practicing mindfulness, and the college freshman experience, among other subjects.

  • How Arizona universities are dispelling fear, shifting the conversation surrounding AI

    How Arizona universities are dispelling fear, shifting the conversation surrounding AI

    The abilities of artificial intelligence, or AI, technology to write and create images has teachers wary of students using AI to do class assignments. ASU has developed guidelines teachers can use to dictate how students can or can’t use AI. Teachers say they want students to be educated about AI use but not as a tool for cheating. Fulton Schools computer engineering doctoral student Frank Liu leads an ASU student committee that wants to participate in ASU’s decision making regarding AI. Liu says AI can be used in positive ways, for instance by helping teach students how to write well instead of writing for them.

  • Dutch delegation visits ASU, tours lab and fabrication space

    Dutch delegation visits ASU, tours lab and fabrication space

    Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools, (at far left in photo) recently joined dozens of representatives of the semiconductor and manufacturing industries in the Netherlands and Belgium on a tour of ASU’s MacroTechnology Works facility. The group included Netherland’s prime minister and the minister-president of Flanders, a part of Belgium. There was also a panel discussion and other conversations about the goals, challenges and values shared by the three countries and the potential for all to work closely together to foster innovation that will provide a path to a productive future. Fulton Schools of Engineering Vice Dean of Research and Innovation Zachary Holman also participated in the day’s activities.

  • New fishing technology ‘lighting the way’ to sustainable future

    New fishing technology ‘lighting the way’ to sustainable future

    Development of a solar-powered light that doubles as a buoy to reduce bycatch of endangered sea turtles, sharks and marine mammals while maintaining fish catches has earned the Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize for Jesse Senko, an assistant research professor in ASU’s College of Global Futures. The innovation, which is lifesaving for the marine animals it protects, was aided by Jennifer Blain Christen, an associate professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools. Christen led an engineering team that developed the illuminated buoy that is crucial to the overall effectiveness of the bycatch reduction system.

  • Entrepreneurial ventures win more than $100K in funding at ASU Demo Day

    Entrepreneurial ventures win more than $100K in funding at ASU Demo Day

    A neurofeedback device designed to help people with ADHD — Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder — earned a team of Fulton Schools biomedical engineering students recognition from entrepreneurs who judged projects presented at the recent ASU Demo Day event. Biomedical engineering graduate student Michael Li is the chief operating officer and co-founder of the venture called Captavate. The project evolved from the personal experience of another biomedical engineering graduate student, Abyssinia Bizuneh, who was diagnosed with ADHD. Bizuneh is now chief executive officer of Captavate, which won $20,000 to advance its project. Fulton Schools students are involved in two other startup ventures that were awarded funding based on their Demo Day presentations.

  • Here’s what we know about ASU’s $185 million expansion at its Polytechnic campus in Mesa

    Here’s what we know about ASU’s $185 million expansion at its Polytechnic campus in Mesa

    Construction is underway on a major expansion of ASU’s Polytechnic campus, including a more than 173,000 square foot, three-story building that will be the largest investment in the history of the campus. The new facility — ASU’s 12th Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building — will house the newest of the Fulton Schools, the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks. The expansion coincides with recent U.S. congressional actions providing billions of dollars to boost semiconductor production. The school’s new facility will include classrooms and research labs for robotics for smart manufacturing and industry automation, cyber manufacturing and operations research, semiconductor manufacturing and manufacturing systems for the energy sector.

    See also: ISTB12 to be major economic boost in region, ASU News, December 5

  • 6 best jobs in the world that combine purpose, profit and planet

    6 best jobs in the world that combine purpose, profit and planet

    A study shows a large majority of people would take a new job if it gave them not only a better paycheck but also opportunities offering work-life balance and professional and personal fulfillment. For Valeria Amaya Espinosa De Los Monteros, that job would be environmental engineering. She’s working toward that goal through studies in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. Her passion is to gain skills enabling her to help provide communities the technology, infrastructure and related resources they need to thrive. She sees an engineer’s role as the “perfect combination of science and social work,” and goes into detail about her choice to be an engineer in a related article on the Kaplan International Pathways website.

November

2023
  • These Clues Hint at the True Nature of OpenAI’s Shadowy Q* Project

    These Clues Hint at the True Nature of OpenAI’s Shadowy Q* Project

    Reports and rumors are swirling around the creation of a computing program named Q* that can supposedly solve complex mathematical problems through advanced computing capabilities that some experts are worried will lead to more powerful artificial intelligence models, stoking fear the new program could erode safety in the use of AI technology. Many are now conjecturing about the potentially troubling ramifications of such developments. Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton schools, speculates on how the way Q* works might present serious threats by enabling the program to evade human control, but he does not predict that this can or will happen.

  • Tech Hubs grant puts ASU at ground zero for medical device manufacturing

    Tech Hubs grant puts ASU at ground zero for medical device manufacturing

    ASU expects to be stepping to the forefront in the vibrant medical device manufacturing field. The Tech Hubs program, authorized by the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act, is investing in various regions across the country to transform them into globally competitive innovation centers. The Medical Device Manufacturing Multiplier Strategy Development Consortium, or MDM2, led by the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, has been awarded one of the Tech Hubs grants by U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration. Marco Santello, a professor in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, will have a leadership position in the MDM2 consortium.

  • Four researchers recognized with 2023 Tim Oke Award

    Four researchers recognized with 2023 Tim Oke Award

    Among recent recipients of the International Association for Urban Climate’s Tim Oke Award for exceptional contributions to climatology and related environmental and ecological fields is the organization’s president, Ariane Middel, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. Middel’s pioneering roles in developing innovative sensing methods to assess the impacts of heat exposure, furthering knowledge of thermal landscapes in urban environments, establishing the field of urban climate informatics, and leadership within the community of urban climate experts are among outstanding achievements that earned Middel the honor. Zhihua Wang, an associate professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, another of the Fulton Schools, is one of the award winners. Read more details on page 60 of the association’s newsletter.

  • SRP to work with ASU to assess condition of watershed through use of lidar

    SRP to work with ASU to assess condition of watershed through use of lidar

    The Salt River Project, or SRP, company is employing the capabilities of the latest lidar laser technology, which can use laser light to detect structural or operational problems with turbines at the dams essential to maintaining the utility’s hydropower resources and services. The work is being aided by student researchers in the School Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. They are conducting a hydropower-related study that will help SRP assess the lifecycle of its systems and determine if maintenance is needed. It’s one of 24 projects ASU is now doing with SRP.

  • The secret web of life in our soil

    The secret web of life in our soil

    Farming, construction and similar land-altering human activity disturbs the native layer of biocrust on the surface of Arizona’s desert soil. Once that biocrust is gone, conditions are ripe for the intense dust storms that afflict large areas throughout much of the state. It can require decades for the biocrust to grow back sufficiently to prevent those storms. ASU researchers are working on ways to help remedy the problem through devising methods to suppress airborne dust. The research team includes faculty members Emmanuel Salifu, Edward Kavazanjian and Matthew Fraser in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. Salifu and Fraser are featured in a video about the project.

  • ASU creates hub of coursework for careers in booming microelectronics industry

    ASU creates hub of coursework for careers in booming microelectronics industry

    ASU has created a website specifically to serve people interested in being trained for jobs and careers in Arizona’s growing microelectronics industry. The website provides information about the newly formed Microelectronics Workforce Development Hub designed to help map a road to employment for not only for people who aspire to earn an engineering degree but also for those who want to retrain for a new career. The effort will be supported by multiple online education opportunities. The Hub, however, is also expected to offer hands-on training in operations critical to the microlectronics industy, says Professor Binil Starly, director of the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, part of the Fulton Schools. The school already has a short introductory course for people with a high school diploma to get an introduction to the use of robots in microelectronics manufacturing.

  • ASU center brings faculty together to research human-robot solutions

    ASU center brings faculty together to research human-robot solutions

    Fulton Schools faculty members and researchers are leading efforts to advance human-robot collaboration. Through ASU’s Center for Human, Artificial Intelligence, and Robot Teaming, led by Fulton Schools Professor Nancy Cooke, Wenlong Zhang, an associate professor in the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, is enabling robots to work with researchers to improve artificial intelligence. Rakibul Hasan, an assistant professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, is exploring how to strengthen data privacy. Pooyan Fazli, an assistant professor in the School of Arts Media and Engineering, is working to facilitate teamwork between robots and humans. Heather Lum, an assistant in The Polytechnic School, is researching how to use robots to improve communication and cooperation between humans and dogs in search and rescue operations. 

  • How Arizona’s roads could change to accommodate autonomous trucks

    How Arizona’s roads could change to accommodate autonomous trucks

    It’s looking like large vehicles equipped with autonomous technology, powered by a variety of energy sources and sometimes connected to each other, are soon to become a part of trucking industry operations. This has engineers trying to accurately forecast how these trucks might impact roads on which they will travel. Hasan Ozer, (at left in photo) an associate professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, will be applying his expertise in pavement materials, design and analysis to help determine what can be done to fortify pavement against the wear and tear these large and heavy vehicles could inflict on roads.

  • No place in the US is safe from the climate crisis, but a new report shows where it’s most severe

    No place in the US is safe from the climate crisis, but a new report shows where it’s most severe

    While efforts have expanded in recent years to stave of global warming and other detrimental impacts of climate change related to human activity, there is still a critical need to ramp up these endeavors. The work required to adequately reduce the threat is far from complete, says Margaret Garcia, an assistant professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. Continued warming means that reversing the trend will require more intensive actions to achieve the level of climate resiliency necessary to avoid increasingly dire environmental consequences, Garcia says.

  • Inspiring stories of top 50 women in tech in the US by Wire19

    Inspiring stories of top 50 women in tech in the US by Wire19

    As the U.S. has continued to solidify its place among the world’s leading producers of technological progress, the nation has seen a particularly notable surge of contributions by women. Their research and development achievements are driving advances in STEM fields and providing innovations important to many industries. Among them is Celeste Fralick, who earned a doctoral degree in computer science, with a concentration on predictive analytics and neuroscience, in the Fulton Schools. Fralick is now a former senior principal engineer and chief data scientist for the McAfee tech company who previously held a similar position with Intel. Her book about infusing analytics into the Internet of Things is scheduled for publication soon.

  • EV chargers in Arizona: How hard is it to find them?

    EV chargers in Arizona: How hard is it to find them?

    Electric vehicles, or EVs, are being touted as a wave of the future in automotive transportation and the U.S. government is investing in stimulating EV production and ownership. In Arizona, as in many places, EV charging stations are few and far between, but  some entrepreneurs and companies are planing to open or expand recharging operations in anticipation of growing demand. Steven Polzin, a professor and transportation researcher in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Build Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, says there are both challenges to significantly increasing EV use and potential incentives that could boost their desirability and thereby increase the availability of charging stations.

  • Fixing the Climate Crisis

    Fixing the Climate Crisis

    Excessive levels of greenhouse gases, specifically carbon dioxide, or CO2, is a growing threat to Earth’s climate and inhabitants. Experts say any feasible solution requires extensive ventures by the world’s major governments. Success hinges on development and deployment of advanced technology designed to combat the growing crisis. One of the emerging CO2 removal tools is the “mechanical tree” developed at ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, led by “the intellectual godfather of carbon removal,” Fulton Schools Professor Klaus Lackner. He says the big question isn’t whether the technology will work, but how much governments around the world are willing to invest in it. The article looks at endeavors to push forward with atmospheric greenhouse gas removal endeavors and the challenges those efforts face.

  • Semiconductors are all over the news in Arizona, but what are they?

    Semiconductors are all over the news in Arizona, but what are they?

    Tens of billions of dollars are being invested in semiconductor industry ventures in Arizona, making the state one of the hotspots for the establishment and expansion of operations that produce the devices being described as the brain of modern electronics. Researchers whose work is driving innovation in semiconductors include Krishnendu Chakrabarty, a professor of microelectronics in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools. Chakrabarty has a leading role in ASU’s contributions to the Center for Hetergenous Integration of Micro Electronics Systems, which involves 14 universities funded by the Semiconductor Research Corporation and the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency.

  • AI in the classroom: does it have a place?

    AI in the classroom: does it have a place?

    While some teachers accept students’ use of artificial intelligence, or AI, technology, others are spurning its use in their classrooms. Subbarao Kamhampati, a professor of computer science in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, explains the various capabilities and limitations of AI software, including the popular ChatGPT program, and how their differences could help educators decide what versions of AI are acceptable for students to use in performing coursework. Several Arizona teachers talk about their experiences with students’ use of these technologies. A curriculum and instruction professional compares today’s challenges with AI to concerns that arose with the emergence of the internet.

  • An IPCC For AI Is A Failure Mode

    An IPCC For AI Is A Failure Mode

    At a recent international AI Safety Summit, leading experts in areas ranging from government, geopolitics and public policy to economics, technology, environmental issues and artificial intelligence, or AI, technology, explored ideas for how to ensure AI’s increasing powers will be used for productive endeavors rather than as a tool to launch efforts that would threaten societal cohesion and stability. Brad Allenby, a professor of engineering and ethics in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, examines the potential for progress and the dangerous pitfalls that could result from such an approach to dealing with the complex challenges of managing AI.

  • ASU researchers create new AI technology for air traffic controllers

    ASU researchers create new AI technology for air traffic controllers

    Much recent news about advances in artificial intelligence, or AI, technologies has focused on warnings about the potential for its use in less than socially beneficial ouruits. But one research project led by Yongming Lui, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, promises to make air traffic control operations safer and more effective. With funding from NASA, Liu is using AI to automate air traffic control systems to help controllers and pilots anticipate and avoid situations that would pose dangers to air travelers.

  • AI voice phishing that gave this family a terrible nightmare

    AI voice phishing that gave this family a terrible nightmare

    On a Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company, or JTBC, news program in South Korea, Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, is interviewed about the expanding abilities of rapidly advancing technologies to create images and sounds that make the unreal look real. Increasingly more capable tools and technologies continue to enable making video images and sounds — including those replicating human voices — that are all but indistinguishable from video and sound of actual events and human speech. Experts like Kamhampti are warning of the growing potential for such misleading fakery to result in provoking reactions that could threaten harm to society.

    See Also: Analyst says ‘nothing surprising’ about Musk’s ‘Grok‘ Reuters, November 7
    Kambhampati says Elon Musk’s new artificial intelligence model — a bot called Grok — is not an especially groundbreaking advance in smart technology as some reports are describing it.

  • Taking semiconductor manufacturing to new heights

    Taking semiconductor manufacturing to new heights

    Manufacturing microelectronics in space could eliminate long, painstaking and costly steps involved in making semiconductors. A research team funded by the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act and NASA’s Space Production Application program is working to make that possible. The project has enlisted Ying-Chen “Daphne” Chen, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, as a co-primary investigator in a collaborative effort with government agencies and industry experts to produce the blueprint to achieve the project’s goal. The article was originally published in Full Circle, the news section of the Fulton Schools website.

October

2023
  • Using ChatGPT for accounting? You may want to think again

    Using ChatGPT for accounting? You may want to think again

    The AI-enabled language model technology ChatGPT has shown its abilities to do some things as well or better than people can do them. But many things might be better left to human intelligence — like accounting. That’s because some experts are finding ChatCGT is not always good at math. Paulo Shakarian, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, says accounting requires capabilities in logic that the technology does not possess. Shakarian’s tests have shown ChatGPT to be less than acceptably accurate for things like accounting, which requires translating words into mathematical equations.

  • ‘These levels are crazy’: Louisiana tap water sees huge spike in toxic chemicals

    ‘These levels are crazy’: Louisiana tap water sees huge spike in toxic chemicals

    Drought and rising sea levels have are combining to bring salty water from the ocean up the Mississippi River, making much of the region’s water undrinkable. Public health experts say the saltwater intrusion could eventually corrode the region’s aging water infrastructure, leach heavy metals into the drinking water and create other problems. Water systems engineer Treavor Boyer, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, says that one technique being used to ease the problem — mixing fresh water with seawater — is instead creating ideal conditions for increasing levels of disinfection byproducts.

  • ASU’s new medical school will integrate engineering with medicine

    ASU’s new medical school will integrate engineering with medicine

    By focusing on an integration of engineering and medicine, ASU’s new medical school expects to redefine the roles of physicians and reshape the way the school’s graduates think about healthcare. The idea is to teach doctors how to be problem solvers like engineers, says Heather Clark, director of the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools. Students will be encouraged to consider how medical instrumentation they are learning to use could be improved by developing more advanced technology, Clark says. Graduates will earn MD degrees along with master’s degrees in engineering.

  • ASU researchers find increasing concentrations of microplastics in Valley soil samples

    ASU researchers find increasing concentrations of microplastics in Valley soil samples

    Accumulations of microplastics in soils aren’t typically described with the same sense of alarm as proliferations of harmful substances and materials elsewhere, such as in the oceans. But high concentrations of microplastics in and on the ground can pose the same severity of toxicological risks to the environment. The Phoenix urban area is facing that problem. Alarming findings by Professor Matt Fraser, associate director of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, Professor Pierre Herckes in ASU’s School of Molecular Sciences and doctoral student Kanchana Chandrakanthan are reported in the research journal Science of the Total Environment.

    See Also: A look at the hidden threat lurking in Phoenix soil, AZ Big Media, October 31

  • Dauphin Island Sea Lab luncheon takes a deep dive into plastic pollution

    Dauphin Island Sea Lab luncheon takes a deep dive into plastic pollution

    Charlie Rolsky earned a doctoral degree at ASU, where he did groundbreaking research at the ASU Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, focusing on marine and aquatic plastic pollution, a major threat to ecosystems and environments around the world. Rolsky was the keynote speaker at the recent Dauphin Island Sea Lab Foundation’s annual Marine Environmental Awards. He is now director of science for Plastic Oceans International and director of research for the Shaw Institute in Maine, where he does contaminant monitoring, marine mammals health surveys and plastics pollution research. He has collaborated with Fulton Schools researchers on several  microplastics pollution projects.

  • To save solar panels from landfills, US startup is smashing them instead

    To save solar panels from landfills, US startup is smashing them instead

    An industrial plant in the desert near Yuma, Arizona, is home to We Recycle Solar, a company at the forefront of a growing business sector. The plant smashes old solar energy panels, extracting bits of valuable materials in the process. It is helping to keep landfills from getting overloaded with used solar panels, while also setting the stage to benefit from a growing market for recycled materials. Meng Tao, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, foresees a coming flood of materials from old solar panels being used to meet an exploding demand for recycled materials in a multibillion dollar market.  

    See Also: To Save Solar Panels From Landfills, Startup Is Smashing Them Instead, Bloomberg, October 24 (Access to article is available only to subscribers.)

  • Cybersecurity threats that keep experts up at night

    Cybersecurity threats that keep experts up at night

    Even as a teenager, Adam Doupé (pictured) found it easy to send his high school friends email informing them the messages came from Santa Claus. It was, of course, all in fun. But it soon dawned on Doupé how that capability could be used for nefarious purposes. Today, the associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and leader of ASU’s Center for Cybersecurity and Trusted Foundations works to find ways to overcome the vulnerabilities of the today’s internet, in the hope of helping to protect people from the “monsters” of cybersecurity — each of which he has given appropriately sinister names.

  • ASU’s New Quantum Computing Pathway Looks To Break Binary With New Courses

    ASU’s New Quantum Computing Pathway Looks To Break Binary With New Courses

    Taking a pioneering step toward the future of electrical engineering education, ASU is establishing a formal quantum computing pathway for students preparing for electrical engineering careers. Christian Arenz, assistant professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, helped to open the pathway this semester with a class he taught called quantum mechanics for quantum information science. The class is designed to establish the basic language of quantum mechanics before students progress to more specific quantum computing studies. The emerging field is seen as having the potential to revolutionize entire industries and reshape the technological landscape.

  • The government is calling on tech leaders for help in crafting AI legislation

    The government is calling on tech leaders for help in crafting AI legislation

    With rapidly proliferating use of artificial intelligence, or AI, technology in an expanding array of areas from business, economics and corporate strategy to media, education, entertainment and more, the U.S. Senate is holding hearings about potential regulation of AI. There are serious concerns about AI eroding privacy, public trust, legal accountability and even weakening national security. Paulo Shakarian, an associate professor, an AI and machine learning expert in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and in ASU’s Center for Cybersecurity and Trusted Foundations Affiliates, discusses the delicate balances that need to made to produce regulations that reduce threats AI can pose without limiting innovation and restricting vital information.

  • ASU researchers work to save the rainforest by putting a new value on it

    ASU researchers work to save the rainforest by putting a new value on it

    A group of six ASU researchers is among finalist teams in the $10 million XPRIZE Foundation competition to find effective ways to measure the worth of rainforests and their biodiversity. Drawing on knowledge of indigenous people and artificial intelligence, or AI, analysis, the teams will go to the Amazon rainforest in Brazil to develop viable sustainability strategies for the land. Among the ASU team members is Pavan Turaga, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of the School of Arts, Media and Engineering. The teams hope to provide a model communities can use as a roadmap to successful environmental preservation.

  • Older adults are vulnerable in a warming climate. Better buildings could help protect them

    Older adults are vulnerable in a warming climate. Better buildings could help protect them

    Amir Baniassadi, who earned a doctoral degree in the Fulton Schools’ civil, environmental and sustainable engineering program, is now a postdoctoral researcher at the Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Harvard Medical School and a consultant at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He’s collaborating works with doctors, architects and fellow engineers to assess heat vulnerability and how buildings could be constructed to reducing health risks from rising global temperatures. Baniassadi has been named a  a 2023 STAT Wunderkind for his commitment to expand knowledge to reveal how built environments affect the well-being of older adults.

  • Gilbert fares poorly in ‘green’ study

    Gilbert fares poorly in ‘green’ study

    WalletHub, a financial website, recently looked at the 100 largest U.S. municipalities, comparing them in several important areas – environment, transportation, energy sources and lifestyle and policy. For the second year in a row, the town of Gilbert, east of the Phoenix metro area, ranked among the least green among its peer cities and towns. Brad Allenby, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, provides some perspective on how cities can most effectively boost and manage projects aimed at going green and reap benefits from those endeavors.

  • ASU Neuroscientists Weigh In On The ‘Link” Between Risk And Reward in Human Testing

    ASU Neuroscientists Weigh In On The ‘Link” Between Risk And Reward in Human Testing

    Elon Musk’s Neuralink company is beginning tests on a human brain implant designed to assist people with paralysis and other neurological disorders. Past testing of such technology has experienced failures that raise concern about the risks of human trials for Neuralink’s device. Some medical researchers caution that using brain-computer interface devices could cause severe health problems if not performed correctly. Bradley Greger, an associate professor in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, sees potential for new treatments for neurological disorders, including for spinal cord injuries, paralysis and nervous system disorders. But he also stresses the need for especially careful testing, analysis and clinical trials.

  • TEDI-London Appoints Professor Lisa Brodie as its Executive Dean

    TEDI-London Appoints Professor Lisa Brodie as its Executive Dean

    The Engineering and Design Institute in London, or TEDI-London, a Fulton Schools partner, will soon have new executive dean. Lisa Brodie will play a key role in TEDI’s ongoing ventures with the school’s founding partners, which include ASUKing’s College London, and UNSW Sydney. Brodie has extensive experience in educational leadership and school administration, and has directed the design, development and introduction of a problem-based learning approach to engineering education. TEDI has a focus on project-driven degree programs in global design engineering and combines resources with its partners to address pressing global engineering-related challenges.

  • This MIT system can harness solar energy to produce green hydrogen

    This MIT system can harness solar energy to produce green hydrogen

    Technology that uses heat from the Sun to split water and hydrogen is the basis for a proposal by researchers to produce completely green, carbon-free hydrogen fuel. Engineers are working on the architecture for a system powered by renewable solar energy that would produce emission-free solar thermochemical hydrogen. Such a system could dramatically change much of the world’s energy future, says Christopher Muhich, an assistant professor of chemical engineering in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools.

    See Also: MIT engineers to generate clean hydrogen using 40% of sun’s heat, DPA Magazine (design products & applications), October 16

    New System can Efficiently Harness the Sun’s Heat to Split Water and Generate Hydrogen, AZO CleanTech, October 17

  • Robotaxies debuted in two U.S, Cities, Only S.F. has a problem with it

    Robotaxies debuted in two U.S, Cities, Only S.F. has a problem with it

    San Francisco’s rollout of robotaxies revealed public tensions about the use of autonomous automobiles. The California city has, along with Phoenix, been a laboratory for how people react to riding in the self-driving vehicles or sharing the road with them in heavily trafficked urban areas. Phoenix has experienced various reactions, including some hostility, but overall reacted somewhat less negatively than San Francisco’s drivers. Acceptance has been a slow and cautious evolution, says Professor Ram Pendyala, the director of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, whose research includes transportation systems engineering and travel behavior analysis, but he foresees these vehicles someday being almost as commonly used as cell phones. (Access to the complete article is limited to subscribers.)

    See Also: Feds asking if robotaxis pose a risk to pedestrians after several crashes, WHIO TV7, October 20

  • ASU student awarded prestigious Google fellowship for cybersecurity research

    ASU student awarded prestigious Google fellowship for cybersecurity research

    Kyle Zeng is the first ASU student to earn a Google Phd Fellowship. A doctoral student in the  School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, Zeng will have a research mentor at Google as he pursues work to reveal and find solutions to today’s cybersecurity vulnerabilities.  Tiffany Bao, associate director of research acceleration at ASU’s Center for Cybersecurity and Trusted Foundations, says Zeng’s success reflects the resources the Fulton Schools provide to students  and the positive societal impacts ASU’s engineering research is achieving. Zeng will now join other accomplished doctor students from around the world to conduct cutting-edge research.

  • Chip Industry Talent Shortage Drives Academic Partnerships

    Chip Industry Talent Shortage Drives Academic Partnerships

    Facing a growing challenge to produce innovations in semiconductor chips, high-tech manufacturing companies are competing for workers amid a shortage of potential employees with skills to meet market demand for the quantity and quality of their products. The situation is spawning partnerships of chip makers, government institutions and universities. One such collaboration involves a new college course developed by ASU and the Advantest and NXP companies on radio frequency testing to train engineers to work in the chips testing industry. Professor Kyle Squires, dean of ASU’s Fulton Schools, comments on the potential of such partnerships to boost the careers of new engineers and strengthen U.S. technology leadership. Photo courtesy of Pixabay

  • Lakers legend Rick Fox built a house that can suck CO2 out of the atmosphere

    Lakers legend Rick Fox built a house that can suck CO2 out of the atmosphere

    Former pro basketball star turned actor, Rick Fox, is turning his attention to leading a search for methods of cleaning up the Earth’s climate. After a hurricane in the Bahamas, Fox’s native country, severely damaged most of the homes and displaced thousands of people, Fox worked with an architect and materials scientists on ways to make concrete without using the carbon-intensive cement that can trigger climate change. Dwarak Ravikumar, an assistant professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of the Fulton Schools, says robust analysis of the new manufacturing method is essential to understanding its climate impact and assessing its scalability.

  • NMSU fueling cyber security, grid innovations

    NMSU fueling cyber security, grid innovations

    Since earning a doctoral degree in computer science from the Fulton Schools in 2009, Satyajayant Misra has become a professor of computer science and electrical and computer engineering and an associate dean of research in New Mexico State University’s College of Engineering, as well as a Los Alamos National Laboratory affiliated scientist. Misra now leads the university’s Cybersecurity Resilience Research Group, which is working to make electrical grids more reliable, efficient and less vulnerable to cyberattacks. Other efforts include developing microgrids integrating renewable energy sources and greener technologies, and helping to transition from coal and diesel fuel to cleaner and more energy-efficient wind and solar power and to all-electric and hybrid vehicles.

  • ASU selected as Microeletronics Commons hub

    ASU selected as Microeletronics Commons hub

    Along with the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the University of Southern California, the Research Foundation for the State University of New York and other leading research institutions, ASU has been chosen as one of eight regional hubs for a new U.S. Department of Defense program to accelerate the prototyping and “lab-to-fab” transition of semiconductor technologies. Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools, gives details about progress in microelectronics ASU engineering researchers and other hub members will pursue as part of efforts to ensure the nation’s military forces will have a reliable supply of the most advanced microchips for technologies critical to their missions.

  • New Force Lab at ASU Features National Firsts In High-Pressure Research

    New Force Lab at ASU Features National Firsts In High-Pressure Research

    Alexandra Navrotsky, a professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, and the School of Molecular Sciences, is one of the principal investigators in ASU’s new Facilities for Open Research in a Compressed Environment Lab. The lab is expected to enable significant advances in knowledge of how materials behave under extreme conditions. Experts in materials throughout the world will be invited to collaborate in work at the facility furnished with state-of-the-art equipment. Work at the lab could help expand knowledge of how Earth and many exoplanets formed and evolved, Navrotsky says.

  • Addressing low enrollment of Hispanic engineering students

    Addressing low enrollment of Hispanic engineering students

    The American Society for Engineering Education reports that an extremely low percentage of Hispanic college engineering students earn master’s degrees or doctoral degrees in their fields. David Flores Prieto (pictured at right), a biomedical engineering doctoral student and graduate research associate in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, is among those advocating for more Hispanic and Latino students at ASU to pursue careers and higher-level degrees in STEM fields. Prieto discusses his ideas for getting more of these students interested in STEM and advanced degrees in those professions. An ASU undergraduate biomedical engineering student tells how Prieto’s efforts have aided her academic success.

  • TSMC in the US: can Taiwan’s chip giant overcome a culture clash?

    TSMC in the US: can Taiwan’s chip giant overcome a culture clash?

    Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC — which leads the semiconductor industry in using the most state-of-the-art chip production technology — is moving machinery into its new fabrication plant in Arizona, the company’s first large manufacturing base in America. The company is also trying to develop talent for its workforce by supporting several local engineering schools. One big challenge for TSMC may be overcoming different cultural perspectives on conducting business and managing relationships with employees, government and other industries. Michael Kozicki, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, says TSMC also faces a very different job fluidity environment in Arizona than in Taiwan.

  • 2023’s Greenest Cities in America

    2023’s Greenest Cities in America

    What does it mean to be green from an urban environmental point of view? In this special feature by the WalletHub’s financial writer, Professor Brad Allenby, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, provides some pertinent perspectives and keen insights on why and how cities should invest in “going green.” What are the benchmarks that define green cities and how can individuals support such efforts without big costs and overwhelming efforts? How can municipalities attract green businesses and renewable energy companies? What kinds of government policies and investment strategies would work best for developing sustainable eco-friendly urbanization? See the “Ask the Experts” section of this report.

    See Also: San Diego Ranked ‘Greenest’ City in the U.S. Thanks to Clean Energy, Environment Policies, Times of San Diego, October 9

    What are the ‘greenest: US Cities?, Smart Cities Dive, October 6

  • ASU launches project management bachelor’s degree

    ASU launches project management bachelor’s degree

    With some of the largest industries creating a growing need for project management professionals — including aerospace and defense, manufacturing bioscience and health care — ASU has seen a recent jump in students enrolling in its project management master’s degree program. The program is based in the university’s College of Integrative Sciences and Arts in the School of Applied Professional Studies, but program leaders hope to form partnerships to offer the degree in other ASU schools, particularly the Fulton Schools and the W.P. Carey School of Business. A labor market analytics group says the degree program provides students skills to that can lead to careers in the high-demand project management industry. The article has also been published by AZ Big Media.

September

2023
  • Experts explain if AI can help children learn

    Experts explain if AI can help children learn

    Artificial intelligence, or AI, technology is showing a capacity to be an effective teacher. Reports of AI successfully helping some students become proficient at solving complex problems in mathematics has sparked suggestions it could be incorporated into other areas of education. But AI expert Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor of in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, one of the Fulton Schools, says college students who have developed critical thinking skills may benefit from AI. But he cautions that AI might not be suited to help young students whose brains are still developing and who need human interaction and emotional support in their early learning years.

  • ASU Space welcomes 2nd cohort of student ambassadors

    ASU Space welcomes 2nd cohort of student ambassadors

    Fulton Schools students make up more than half of the undergraduates in the newest cohort of ASU Space Student Ambassador program. The competitive leadership and professional development program’s student ambassadors help represent and bring attention to ASU Space among fellow ASU students, faculty and staff, as well as external organizations and ASU industry partners. The new ambassadors will have opportunities to build professional relationships, attend conferences, volunteer at community events, network with space industry professionals and explore how their academic focus areas can contribute to the space industry.

  • The race for semiconductor supremacy

    The race for semiconductor supremacy

    In a documentary exploring efforts the by the U.S. to regain its role as a leader in semiconductor chip manufacturing and providing an overview of the current global semiconductor manufacturing industry, Professor Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools, comments on the fast pace of today’s engineering advances and the engineering students who are eager to contribute to developing the new technological capabilities that such progress will make possible. Fulton Schools materials science and engineering graduate student Mark Li from Kazakhstan comments on his goal to work in the semiconductor industry, saying he was attracted to the U.S. and ASU because of the entrepreneurial opportunities they offer to aspiring inventors like himself.

  • Lifelong learning opportunities coming to Rio Verde

    Lifelong learning opportunities coming to Rio Verde

    ASU’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is partnering with the Rio Verde Community Association to bring  the institute’s program that provides learning experiences to communities of adults age 50 and older  to the Rio Verde community in near the Phoenix area. Among the first offerings of the educational outreach program will be the presentation “Will Artificial Intelligence Destroy Our Economic, Social, and Political Systems?” led by Brad Allenby (standing in photo), a professor of engineering and ethics in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools.

  • SRP invests $2.6 million in innovative research projects at Arizona universities

    SRP invests $2.6 million in innovative research projects at Arizona universities

    As part of research and development efforts to upgrade electrical power systems in the greater Phoenix metro area, the Salt River Project utility company is investing $2.6 million in more than  30 projects with several of Arizona’s universities. Projects involving ASU faculty researchers include those using recent technology advances to maintain SRP hydropower resources. Ricardo Eiris, an assistant professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, leads the project. Another team led by Eiris is using new technology to model SRP hydropower assets that will set a new standard for proactive maintenance and modernization or SRP’s hydropower fleet.

  • Taiwan Should Aspire To Make Itself ‘Indigestible’ To China, Says Expert

    Taiwan Should Aspire To Make Itself ‘Indigestible’ To China, Says Expert

    Hoping to bolster its defenses to guard against a potential Chinese military incursion, Taiwan is studying tactics Ukraine is using to push back against Russia’s aggression. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense is exploring tactics that would exploit China’s vulnerabilities in case of an invasion. Braden Allenby, a professor  in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and author of “The Applied Ethics of Emerging Military and Security Technologies,” says it’s an especially complicated strategic challenge. Allenby advises Taiwan to take steps to make an invasion of the country an unpalatable and burdensome proposition for China.

  • Crow: Universities must ‘up their game’ to embrace artificial intelligence

    Crow: Universities must ‘up their game’ to embrace artificial intelligence

    Amid ethical issues and related concerns about the proliferating use of artificial intelligence, or AI, technology, ASU President Michael Crow says higher education must move forward in adapting to AI and promote its use in positive ways that enhance learning. AI expert Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, likens the reactions to the rise of AI to concerns in the past that the invention of the calculator would keep young students from learning math. Crow and Kambhampati both see AI posing some threats to academic integrity but also see its possibilities for helping to make education more accessible and personalized.

  • New asphalt binder alternative is less toxic, more sustainable than conventional blend

    New asphalt binder alternative is less toxic, more sustainable than conventional blend

    A new asphalt-binding material called AirDuo developed by Ellie Fini, an associate professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, diminishes emissions of toxic fumes while also increasing the materials overall sustainability. That especially helps to reduce health hazards to workers installing the material. The binding mixture is made from low-carbon, bio-based materials that offer an alternative to more toxic petroleum products. More testing of the material at ASU and possibly in Tucson and Flagstaff will aim to increase the effectiveness of AirDuo paving. The article previously appeared on the ASU News website.

  • Students, faculty across ASU helping community with telehealth innovations

    Students, faculty across ASU helping community with telehealth innovations

    Through its Luminosity Lab, the Fulton Schools is contributing to efforts to provide more and better medical services to the greater ASU community. One of the lab’s endeavors is participation in a project to aid Phoenix Children’s hospital in offering more accessible telehealth experiences for children at the hospital and their parents. It’s part of other efforts through which the lab is joining ASU’s Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Zoom Innovation Lab and The Design School in helping the ASU Health, Counseling and Wellness program increase access to health care services for various groups that are underserved.

    More recent Luminosity Lab news: Primer: ASU helping to develop personalized AI tool, Fox 10 News-Phoenix

  • Little Luxuries Made With Captured Pollution Hint at Big Frontiers in Climate Science

    Little Luxuries Made With Captured Pollution Hint at Big Frontiers in Climate Science

    Ways in which carbon capture techniques are used today to create popular consumer products might help build support for efforts to remove the harmful carbon dioxide that has been accumulating in the Earth’s atmosphere for many decades. Those techniques could be the basis for developing more effective and sustainable ways to reduce dependence on fossil fuels that cause much of the unhealthy carbon dioxide accumulations. Direct-air capture systems like those pioneered by Fulton Schools Professor Klaus Lackner, founding director of ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, and others, present the possibility of atmospheric carbon dioxide extraction without the need to radically rebuild modern infrastructure.

  • Undergraduate Research: How ASU students can fast-track their careers

    Undergraduate Research: How ASU students can fast-track their careers

    ASU students, graduates and faculty members attest to the benefits of research done in their undergraduate’ years that has proved beneficial to their higher education and careers. Fulton Schools electrical engineering student Yibo Chen talks about how his work under the mentorship of Shahnawaz Sinha, an associate research professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, helping him do rewarding work in the Fulton Schools Grand Challenges Scholars Research Stipend program. The Fulton Undergraduate Research Initiative program has also provided students a path into productive research pursuits.

  • Research and development hub based at ASU gets nearly $40M in funding from CHIPS Act

    Research and development hub based at ASU gets nearly $40M in funding from CHIPS Act

    The Fulton Schools will lead ASU’s Southwest Advanced Prototyping Hub as one of eight research and development hubs that are getting $238 million in the first official allocation from the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act. As part of the Microelectronics Commons program established under the CHIPS Act, work by the hubs will focus on speeding up the transition from research labs to development and manufacture of advanced microelectronics. The hub at ASU will be the first major national security-oriented research and development laboratory built in Arizona, according to ASU President Michael Crow.

    See Also: ASU receives $39.8M federal grant to create microelectronics innovation hub, ABC 15 News Arizona

    Read more in the Phoenix Business Journal (access available only to subscribers) and the Department of Defense News

  • Why sewage may hold the key to tracking diseases far beyond COVID-19

    Why sewage may hold the key to tracking diseases far beyond COVID-19

    Science and engineering advances have enabled a growing number of the disease-causing organisms called pathogens to be detectable in wastewater. That capability is making sewage a potential major source of the signs of several viral maladies and other serious health threats, including COVID-19. It has enabled Erin Driver, an assistant research scientist at ASU’s Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, to engage in effective wastewater surveillance efforts that have provided valuable information about the source, emergence and spread of disease. Driver, who earned a doctoral degree in civil, environmental and sustainable engineering from the Fulton Schools, says a growing number of scientists and engineers are now using these testing techniques that ASU researchers have helped to develop and put into practice.

  • Chip-Integrated Metasurface-Based Full-Stokes Polarimetric Imaging Sensors

    Chip-Integrated Metasurface-Based Full-Stokes Polarimetric Imaging Sensors

    A research group led by Yu Yao, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, and her collaborators developed a chip-integrated metasurface-based Full-Stokes polarimetric imaging sensors that surpass conventional imaging sensing technologies. Traditional polarimetric imaging systems have required complicated optical components and moving parts to achieve comparably sharp and accurate imaging. Researchers say applications of advanced imaging sensors could improve autonomous vision, industrial inspection, space exploration,  biomedical imaging and other sensing and imaging capabilities valuable to society.

  • New global consortium to advance net zero hydrogen

    New global consortium to advance net zero hydrogen

    An international research project will seek to set the stage for a hydrogen economy through the work of the Global Hydrogen Production Technologies Center, which will bring together experts from 20 universities, including ASU, to make hydrogen a major affordable and accessible source of energy. Meng Tao, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, will lead the project’s water catalysis efforts to use electricity to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. The project’s team intends to not only advance cutting-edge hydrogen technologies, but also address economic and policy dimensions essential to developing a global hydrogen economy.

    See Also: Cranfield leads UK collaboration in global hydrogen initiative, Business Weekly (United Kingdom), September 19

  • AZ Inno Under 25 2023: Meet 8 of Arizona’s young innovators

    AZ Inno Under 25 2023: Meet 8 of Arizona’s young innovators

    Some promising new products and problem-solving ideas are coming from Arizona’s startups and other business ventures in a wide range of industries. The new company creators include some entrepreneurs under the age of 25. Among them is Fulton Schools third-year biomedical engineering student Theodore Cavender (at bottom left in photo). Cavender co-founded Vulcreate, which helps fellow entrepreneurs develop their products using advanced 3D visualization and modeling. His company team has grown to six people who are developing product prototypes for companies around the world. Cavender hopes to expand Vulcreate’s services to help fellow entrepreneurs also patent and market new products.

  • SRP, Arizona State University collaborating on hydropower fleet maintenance

    SRP, Arizona State University collaborating on hydropower fleet maintenance

    Students of Thomas Czerniawski are helping to maintain and preserve the hydropower assets on Salt River Project’s watershed of the two SRP grant-funded studies focused on preserving and maintaining the value of the hydropower assets on SRP’s watershed. Students will use lidar technology to assess wear and tear on the hydropower turbines at two large SRP sites. Another student team will use digital technology to hydropower assets with the goal setting a new standard for proactive maintenance and modernization across SRP’s hydropower fleet. Czerniawski is an assistant professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools.

  • ASU researchers look to cut construction time and cost through concrete

    ASU researchers look to cut construction time and cost through concrete

    Switching from traditional steel rebar framework to an innovative mix of smaller steel fibers promises to make heavy construction projects less expensive and require less time. Experiments in the lab of Barzin Mobasher, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, shows the new method can work in a wide variety of building endeavors. The new steel fibers were recently used successfully for a project to enhance the Phoenix area’s Valley Metro Light Rail system. An ASU workshop is bringing researchers from across the work to examine the benefits of this alternative concrete mixing and and reinforcement process.

    See Also: ASU Concrete Lab Tour, Fox 10 News-Phoenix

  • Phoenix-area AI expert says legislation on the evolving technology is essential

    Phoenix-area AI expert says legislation on the evolving technology is essential

    Sixty U.S. senators had the first of a planned series of meetings to explore establishing regulations to control the use of today’s artificial intelligence, or AI, technology. Prominent figures in the technology industry participated in the discussion. Government leaders voiced concern about the potential for AI to be used to threaten national security, election integrity and the economy through spreading misinformation. AI expert Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, comments that such concerns should be taken seriously. He agrees there is the potential for severe harm resulting from the use of AI’s ability for deceitful and menacing purposes.

  • How heat is inhibiting Arizona from generating more solar power

    How heat is inhibiting Arizona from generating more solar power

    Arizona is among places in the world that get the most sunlight. Surprisingly, however, the hotter than average heat from sunlight experienced in the state’s desert regions — like Phoenix — creates conditions that keep those areas from generating comparable amounts of solar power than what would be produced by sunlight in cooler environments. Nick Rolston, an assistant professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, talks about research he and colleagues are doing to develop the next generation of energy materials and devices that might help generate more solar power from sunlight in hotter locales.

  • New Student Regent Representing ASU Will Be The First From A Rural Background In Years

    New Student Regent Representing ASU Will Be The First From A Rural Background In Years

    Fulton Schools electrical engineering student David Zaragoza has begun his two-year team as member of the Arizona Board of Regents. Raised in Yuma, Zaragoza became the first student board member who grew up outside a metropolitan area to serve on the board in the past several years. He says his rural upbringing will factor into his decision making as a Regents board member. Zaragoza intends to “elevate those voices” of students from outlying communities to help ensure the governing body of Arizona’s state universities recognizes their needs. He is the first student regent to be selected by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs.

  • ASU ranks No. 8 among US universities issued US utility patents in 2022

    ASU ranks No. 8 among US universities issued US utility patents in 2022

    Recent rankings of U.S. universities earning U.S. utility patents in 2022 place ASU at number eight nationally. The list highlights American innovation and showcases universities that are leaders in advancing the country’s innovation ecosystem. Among those inventions is a flexible wearable robotic device to treat a painful physical condition called plantar flexion contractures and technology for developing highly efficient power electronics using a novel semiconductor material. The first project involved Fulton Schools faculty member Thomas Sugar in the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks. The second involved Fulton Schools faculty member Houqiang Fu in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering.

  • Safety of Autonomous Vehicles Will Partially Rely on the Public Embracement of its Technology

    Safety of Autonomous Vehicles Will Partially Rely on the Public Embracement of its Technology

    Many experts say our ground transportation environment could be made more accessible, affordable and safer by the use of autonomous vehicles. But there are potential complications that make widespread acceptance and deployment of self-driving automobiles challenging. Professor Ram Pendyala, director of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Build Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, provides his perspective on integrating autonomous modes of transportation into our complex urban landscapes. In an extensive talk, he looks at the technical, economic, environmental and educational questions and issues that will factor into influencing the general public’s outlook on the use of autonomous vehicles.

  • Biodesign Institute receives $3M NSF grant to develop DNA-enabled nanoelectronics

    Biodesign Institute receives $3M NSF grant to develop DNA-enabled nanoelectronics

    A new generation of electronic applications at the molecular scale would provide the increase in computing power needed to expand the horizons of the semiconductor industry. A $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop an advanced manufacturing process to help attain that goal has been awarded to Josh Hihath, a professor in the  School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of ASU’s Biodesign Center for Bioelectronics and Biosensors. His team of researchers will develop a new manufacturing process using DNA to create ultrahigh-density nanoelectronic systems, combining DNA nanotechnology and synthetic biology. The project will also give students opportunities to learn about emerging technologies.

  • Engineering major brothers land internships at Los Alamos National Laboratory

    Engineering major brothers land internships at Los Alamos National Laboratory

    Brothers Carlos and Miguel Chacon got the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned as ASU engineering students in recent internships in their home state. Graduates of Los Alamos High School in New Mexico, they returned to the town this summer to work at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, famous for the work done there as part of the World War II-era Manhattan Project. Carlos and Miguel, whose studies have focused on robotics, say learning experiences they’ve had as engineering students in The Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools, and ASU’s Barrett, The Honors College, helped them prepare for their endeavors at the national research lab.

  • “It’s like a sweatbox:” Houston bus stops reach dangerous temperatures this summer

    “It’s like a sweatbox:” Houston bus stops reach dangerous temperatures this summer

    It’s not just the heat, it’s the humidity, say urban climate experts such as Ariane Middell, an assistant professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. And what is intensifying the effects of heat and humidity in urban environments is often infrastructure that exposes people rather that protects them from unhealthy extreme heat and humidity. That situation inhibits the body’s ability to cool itself, Middel says. For defense against such debilitating situations, she and other researchers in the field say there is a relatively affordable way to help people in cities beat the heat: plenty of shade cover provided by built structures, leafy trees and other large sheltering vegetation.

    See Also: Midnight runners: the athletes up late to beat the scorching heat, The Guardian, August 30

    Research team with UCLA associate professor, ASU faculty examines shade deserts, Daily Bruin (UCLA), September 5

  • Valley researchers working to use AI to improve lives

    Valley researchers working to use AI to improve lives

    Amid frequent warnings about the use of artificial intelligence, or AI, technology in problematic and harmful ways, there are also reminders about how its abilities could aid society. Among the more promising potential for productive AI applications are in health care, says Hasti Seifi, an assistant professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. Seifi, whose expertise includes human-computer interaction, is on an ASU research team funded by the National Institutes of Health to find ways to help people who are blind or have limited vision. Seifi and fellow researchers foresee AI playing a key role in helping those who face the challenges of visual impairment.

  • A solid battery solution: ASU engineering team works to advance solid-state battery technology

    A solid battery solution: ASU engineering team works to advance solid-state battery technology

    As the world shifts toward electric drivetrains, demand increases for optimal electric vehicle (EV) battery solutions. Lithium-ion batteries, currently used in EVs, present challenges in terms of range, safety, weight, and infrastructure strain. Many researchers, such as Candace Chan, an associate professor of materials science for the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, are exploring solid-state batteries as a solution. These batteries utilize solid electrolytes, offering improved safety and potentially enabling the use of lithium metal in anodes, increasing charging capacity and EV range. Chan is also working on manufacturing methods for efficient solid-state batteries. While promising, commercialization is a long-term goal due to the complexities involved. 

August

2023
  • Gannett Pauses AI Written Articles

    Gannett Pauses AI Written Articles

    News media operations are taking advantage of the abilities of artificial intelligence, or AI, technology by using it to write some of the simpler news articles, typically reports on sporting events. But even in such a rudimentary role, problems are arising. Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, says AI use could become even more problematic if it’s used for more serious subject matter that requires detailed, nuanced reporting on events that have important public impacts. For ethical reasons, he adds, news media should also inform readers when news articles are produced by AI instead of reporters.

  • Mass Transit releases 2023 40 Under 40 honorees

    Mass Transit releases 2023 40 Under 40 honorees

    Two transportation experts who earned degrees in their fields in the Fulton Schools civil, environmental and sustainable engineering program have been spotlighted by Mass Transit magazine as significant contributors to the transit industry’s advancement. Rumpa Dey is an accomplished transportation engineer who has helped to make strides in transportation accessibility, mobility and safety using innovative technologies. Sanjay Paul is recognized as an outstanding business leader in the industry and has provided creative transportation solutions for both government programs and private companies. Dey and Paul have also been recognized by Engineering News Record as part of 2023’s new cohort of 20 transportation professionals under age 40 who are among the industry’s top achievers and leaders.

  • ASU launches students into NASA’s RockOn! program

    ASU launches students into NASA’s RockOn! program

    Arizona State University is fostering accessible avenues for student engagement in space exploration. Aerospace engineering undergraduate students, Sadie Cullings and Noelle Geddis, participated in NASA’s RockOn! program, thanks to support from ASU’s Interplanetary Initiative and other departments. During the program, they designed a Geiger counter, which was launched into suborbital space to study radiation beyond Earth’s atmosphere. The experience expanded their passion for the space industry. Eric Stribling, a faculty member in ASU’s Interplanetary Initiative, emphasized that RockOn! not only imparts technical skills but also promotes interdisciplinary collaboration, fostering inclusivity in space exploration. Cullings now has clear post-graduate plans in the space industry, highlighting the program’s impact on career choices.

  • Arizona could have opportunities to import, create more water in the future

    Arizona could have opportunities to import, create more water in the future

    With drought and other challenges facing Arizona leaders in ensuring the state’s future will include adequate and dependable sources of water, a variety of potential options are being explored. Paul Westerhoff, chair of ASU’s environmental engineering program and a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, describes strategies being considered. Those include importing water from major rivers and the Gulf of California and atmospheric water capture. Westerhoff emphasizes that any option will require adequate funding sources, new, complex and extensive infrastructure systems, upgraded purification processes and possibly investment in a revolutionary hydrogen energy economy.

  • First-Year ASU Student Helps Close Engineering Gender Gap

    First-Year ASU Student Helps Close Engineering Gender Gap

    New Fulton Schools student Claire Gunderson isn’t letting the fact that there is a comparatively low percentage of women among mechanical engineers deter her from pursuing career aspirations in the field. Her interest in that branch of engineering sprung from working with her father on his cars as she grew up. This semester, Gunderson, a National Indigenous Recognition Scholar, has begun studies optimistically and with an extracurricular goal to join a Society of Automotive Engineers Formula SAE Club competition that challenges students to design and build high-performing racecars.

    See Also: Incoming student plans to build a future — and cars — with ASU, ASU News

  • Deepfake scams have arrived: Fake videos spread on Facebook, TikTok and Youtube

    Deepfake scams have arrived: Fake videos spread on Facebook, TikTok and Youtube

    Deceptive deepfake images are becoming prevalent on major social media platforms — especially computer-manipulated images of celebrities and other widely known people, particularly those in the entertainment business. New technological capabilities enable making more realistic fake images of people that also mimic their real voices. Many videos using those images are designed to scam viewers into investing money in various phony ventures. Subbarao Kambhampati, an expert in computer science and artificial intelligence technology, and professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Reality, part of the Fulton Schools, says deepfake images can today be made by almost anyone with a smartphone and a computer.

  • Japan Wants To Develop A Military Metaverse To Maintain Edge In Battlefield Technology

    Japan Wants To Develop A Military Metaverse To Maintain Edge In Battlefield Technology

    Japan is fortifying its military defenses through applying the latest technological advances, including more effective cyber defense, satellite and drone technologies. Braden Allenby, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and author of “The Applied Ethics of Emerging Military and Security Technologies,” says the buildup of new defense systems has been prompted by growing weaponization of new technologies for military defense by some of Japan’s potential military adversaries, specifically technologies that can deceptively create false scenarios to mislead and neutralize opponents’ defense operations, part of new strategies being called cognitive warfare.

  • Microbes for the mind

    Microbes for the mind

    New treatments developed by ASU researchers are brightening the outlook for treating people with autism and children with the rare disorder called Pitt-Hopkins syndrome. It’s the result of decades of work to find such treatments. Progress has been aided by the work of Fulton Schools Professors James Adams and Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown. Adams, director of ASU’s Autism/Asperger’s Research Program, and Brown, director of the Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes, first hypothesized that microbiotic transplant therapy could improve the conditions of people with autism. Such microbiome treatments are now among the more promising of the advances raising hopes of better treatments for health disorders that cause physical, mental and developmental problems.

  • 16 ASU students offered Fulbright US Student Program awards

    16 ASU students offered Fulbright US Student Program awards

    The Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards more than 2,000 grants each year to support college students to do research, independent studies, graduate studies, teaching or artistic projects in other countries. Winners for the 2023-2024 academic year include Fulton Schools student Isabella Werner, who graduated in May, earning a bachelor’s degree computer systems engineering with a specialization in cybersecurity. The Fulbright Award will enable her to go to the Slovak Republic to be a teaching assistant in English at a high school in the town of Sečovce. Werner’s goals are to cultivate leadership skills and broaden her experience before pursuing a master’s degree in business administration.

  • U.S. needs to invest in training, recruiting to expand semiconductor workforce

    U.S. needs to invest in training, recruiting to expand semiconductor workforce

    While there are extensive efforts to grow the semiconductor supply chains in the U.S., the industry is still facing an outlook for significant worker shortages in coming years, particularly positions for engineers and computer scientists. Companies will need to find future employees not only at universities but also at community colleges, says Trevor Thornton, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools. Thornton is partnering with the Maricopa Community Colleges in the greater Phoenix metro area to provide lectures and other instruction on semiconductor technology and manufacturing at the system’s schools. Students can then come to ASU for advanced studies and lab experience in microelectronics.

  • Can 3D Printing Make Retreaded Tires Greener?

    Can 3D Printing Make Retreaded Tires Greener?

    Professor Timothy E. Long recently joined the Fulton Schools but isn’t leaving behind an innovative endeavor he’s been involved in at Virginia Tech. He is continuing to provide expertise in polymers for a project that promises to produce a significant environmental benefit — developing techniques and materials for tire retreading that produces less waste. The project calls for combining skills in mechanical and materials engineering and advances in 3D scanning and printing. Long is certain to bring lessons from the project to his classes in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, and as director of ASU’s Biodesign Center for Sustainable Macromolecular Materials and Manufacturing.

  • Fiber-reinforced concrete saves time and money over rebar

    Fiber-reinforced concrete saves time and money over rebar

    In his work to advance the use of new and improved materials in construction engineering, Barzin Mobasher, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, has been overseeing the application of fiber-reinforced concrete in the repair and extension of the Phoenix light rail system. While the overall costs of using the reinforced concrete can be high, the material enables significant savings over time in several ways, including by eliminating the need for conventional rebar material. Mobasher says the use of the fibers in concrete has made the construction process easier and faster, exceeding his initial expectations of its advantages.

  • Arizona is a hub for driverless cars. Here’s why — and what’s next for autonomous vehicles

    Arizona is a hub for driverless cars. Here’s why — and what’s next for autonomous vehicles

    Driverless taxis from the Waymo company’s fleet of autonomous automobiles are now operating in a 180-square-mile area within the greater Phoenix, Scottsdale and Chandler metro areas, making the company the world’s largest fully autonomous, paid ride-hailing service. Self-driving vehicle technologies and systems have evolved over more than a decade, but there are still challenges to overcome in building public trust in driverless cars. Junfeng Zhao, an assistant professor in The Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools, and founder of the Battery ELectric and Intelligent Vehicle Lab, joins a conversation about Arizona’s growing role as a testing ground for autonomous vehicles.

  • A garden of innovation: Mayo Clinic, ASU seed grant to fund medical discoveries

    A garden of innovation: Mayo Clinic, ASU seed grant to fund medical discoveries

    ASU researchers will team with Mayo Clinic physicians to seek solutions to complex medical challenges with support from the Mayo Clinic and ASU Alliance for Health Care Seed Grant Program. The recently announced 2023 grant projects will fund efforts involving several Fulton Schools faculty members, including Professor Chitta Baral, Assistant Professor Ashif Iqubal and Assistant Professor Yingzhen Yang in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, Assistant Professor Julianne Holloway and Associate Professor Hamidreza Marvin in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Associate Professor Mehdi Nikkhah, Associate Professor Rosalind Sadleir and Assistant Professor Jessica Weaver in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering and Assistant Professor Xiangfan Chen in the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks.

  • Quantum powers researchers to see the unseen

    Quantum powers researchers to see the unseen

    Applying discoveries in quantum mechanics, researchers can now do ultrasensitive thermal imaging at room temperatures. The advance expands what infrared detectors can sense. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is now providing Virginia Tech funding to increase sensing capabilities through the work of a research team that includes Yu Yao, an associate professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, whose expertise includes optoelectronic devices. The project aims to enhance infrared detectors so they can monitor body temperature, spot forest fires, track rockets, missiles and airplanes, and possibly do early disease detection.

  • Phoenix has sealed 100 miles of streets with cool pavement so far

    Phoenix has sealed 100 miles of streets with cool pavement so far

    Phoenix recently marked the 100th mile of the city’s streets coated with cool pavement, a light gray or blue shade material that reflects sunlight, thereby lowering road temperatures. Since 2020, multiple neighborhoods in the city have received this treatment, which will extend to 118 miles by the end of the year. By reflecting more sunlight than blacktop, cool pavement reduces surface temperatures by up to 12 degrees Fahrenheit. Ariane Middel (pictured), an urban climatologist and associate professor in the School for Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, says the project is a significant step forward toward combating urban heat.

  • ASU honors student combines music, augmented reality in prestigious research program

    ASU honors student combines music, augmented reality in prestigious research program

    Movinya Gunatilaka’s journey along the way to her goal of earning a degree through the Fulton Schools’ computer systems engineering program took an enlightening extracurricular turn this summer. Gunatilaka’s interest in the field of augmented reality and her love of music drew her to the Fulbright-MITACS Globallink Research Internship program at McGill University in Canada, which brings together students from universities throughout the world to do research in science, engineering, social sciences and the humanities. Gunatilaka, a student in ASU’s Barrett, The Honors College, worked on a project to create a musical immersion experience using augmented reality. She says the experience reinforced her decision to pursue a master’s degree in computer engineering.

  • San Francisco asks regulators to stop approval of robotaxi expansion after recent blunders

    San Francisco asks regulators to stop approval of robotaxi expansion after recent blunders

    California’s public utilities commission recently granted permits to taxi services using autonomous vehicles in San Francisco. But soon, city officials and residents voiced concerns about the safety of the vehicles and a city attorney submitted a court motion asking regulators to reconsider allowing driverless taxis in the city, citing the vehicles’ potential interference with public safety forces, public transportation systems, construction and traffic flow. But transportation engineer and researcher Professor Ram Pendyala, director of the School of Sustainable Engineer and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, says advances in technology are making the vehicles much safer than in the past and he is confident they can perform well.

  • ASU experts explore national security risks of ChatGPT

    ASU experts explore national security risks of ChatGPT

    ChatGPT is showing the potential for artificial intelligence technology, or AI, to both benefit and threaten society. So, ASU tech experts are exploring how to erect safeguards against nefarious uses of ChatGPT. Nadya Bliss, executive director of ASU’s Global Security Initiative, and professor of practice in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, says strong defenses are needed against the many kinds of security risks CHATGPT can pose. Nancy Cooke, a professor in The Polytechnic School, another of the Fulton Schools, directs the Center for Human, Artificial Intelligence, and Robot Teaming, which is exploring legal and ethical issues that could arise as robots and AI become more autonomous.

  • ASU engineering, honors graduates land job at renowned Los Alamos National Laboratory

    ASU engineering, honors graduates land job at renowned Los Alamos National Laboratory

    Only a few months after his studies in the Fulton Schools helped him earn a bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering from ASU, Connor Morse is a research and development engineer at the historic Los Alamos National Laboratory. There he joins fellow recent ASU honors graduate Bryan Carlton, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees through studies in the Fulton Schools focusing on robotics and autonomous systems. Morse was drawn to the job at the laboratory — known for its role in the outcome of World War II — by the opportunity to have a positive impact on humanity. Carlton looks forward to contributing to advances in ways will that will help strengthen national security.

  • ASU Sets Out to Create Microelectronics Hub in the Southwest

    ASU Sets Out to Create Microelectronics Hub in the Southwest

    Fulton Schools leaders are spearheading a proposal for the Southwest Advanced Prototyping Hub, or SWAP, recently submitted to the National Security Technology Accelerator as part of the Microelectronics Commons, a U.S. Department of Defense program funded by the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act. The SWAP Hub’s purpose would be development of artificial intelligence hardware and other technologies for defense applications. Associate Professor Zachary Holman, SWAP Hub program director and vice dean of the Fulton Schools Office of Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, says work is already underway with funding partners to implement the vision of the new program. The photo was taken at the recent the Southwest Advanced Prototyping Hub workshop.

  • Five U.S. universities to offer courses about sustainable plastics

    Five U.S. universities to offer courses about sustainable plastics

    ASU is among the five universities recently awarded one of several $500,000 grants from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The funds are designated for use in creating seven curriculum modules designed to prepare students to be part of the next generation of sustainability leaders in the nation’s workforce. The project at ASU will involve a team of researchers in the Fulton Schools and the W.P. Carey School of Business that will develop the curriculum for this project.

    See Also: U.S. universities funded to provide plastics recycling programs, Waste & Recycling magazine, August 14

    Kickstart: A circular plastics education, Plastics News, August 11

  • Here’s how Arizona is fueling the semiconductor talent pipeline

    Here’s how Arizona is fueling the semiconductor talent pipeline

    Arizona is emerging as a leader in semiconductor talent and production. With more than $60 billion in investments since 2020, the state is at the forefront of the industry. Arizona’s workforce growth is driven by training programs, universities and partnerships. Collaborative efforts with Intel and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company led to a successful Semiconductor Technician Quick Start program, benefiting a diverse group of students. Professor Sally Morton, executive vice president of ASU’s Knowledge Enterprise, says Arizona’s economic growth is also supported by its construction workforce and by programs like those in the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, part of the Fulton Schools, which is providing impactful research and development to help grow the state’s technology industries.

  • What is the potential for Arizona’s water? Expert weighs in

    What is the potential for Arizona’s water? Expert weighs in

    Water levels in the Colorado River are declining, raising concern in Arizona and other western states about the outlook for future water supplies. But water experts like Paul Westerhoff, a professor in the School of Environmental Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, say there are water-use strategies that can help ensure lower river water levels won’t always have severe consequences. The key is using various qualities of water from various sources for different applications, Westerhoff says. Untreated wastewater, for example, can be used for some purposes without being purified, while advances in atmospheric water capture could provide high-quality water suitable for many uses.

  • Robots mimic human reactions to extreme heat

    Robots mimic human reactions to extreme heat

    Engineers and scientists are developing diverse new methods to study the impacts of rising global temperatures. In Arizona, an epicenter of heat warnings this summer, one venture by ASU researchers involves a robot that simulates human sweating as a way to reveal precisely how people can be affected — and endangered — by exposure to extreme heat. The robot named ANDI (pictured) is an outdoor thermal manikin designed to provide a deeper understanding of hyperthermia, which is threatening growing numbers of people around the world due to global warming. The research team leaders are Konrad Rykaczewski, an associate professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, Ariane Middel, an associate professor in the School for Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and the School of Arts, Media and Engineering, and Jennifer Vanos, an associate professor in the School of Sustainability.

    See Also: How extreme summer weather can increase risks of strokes, heart attacks and car crashes, Daily Mail (United Kingdom), August 5

    Sweating, shivering mannequin aids research on how bodies respond to extreme temperature, FOX Weather, August 1

    Sweating, shivering, breathing robots teach humans how extreme temperatures affect the body, WBUR-Boston (NPR), June 27

    ANDI the “manikin” helps researchers better understand heat and the human body, Arizona PBS (Horizon), July 26

  • Incoming student plans to build a future — and cars — with ASU

    Incoming student plans to build a future — and cars — with ASU

    New Fulton Schools mechanical engineering student Claire Gunderson, a National Indigenous Recognition Scholar, comes to ASU with skills as in art, photography, welding and automobiles. She chose ASU for the “boundless opportunities” it offers, including the Fulton Schools Sun Devil Motorsports Formula SAE program, which she plans to join. In addition to gaining advances technical skills and getting hands-on experience in engineering, Gunderson also plans to get experience as a community leader through the ASU Next Generation Service. Corp.

  • Making cybersecurity a national priority

    Making cybersecurity a national priority

    Major federal government efforts to strengthen U.S. security now include a new National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy to help meet the country’s needs for robust cyber workplaces and taking the lead in developing a digital economy. The School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, already has a curriculum to produce well-trained cyber professionals that has been adopted by higher education organizations throughout the world. One of the school’s leading cybersecurity experts, Assistant Professor Yan Shoshitaishvili, director of ASU’s Center for Cybersecurity and Trusted Foundations, talks about the new government strategy and ASU’s ability to support it.

  • Determination to Make a Difference

    Determination to Make a Difference

    “Reasons for Hope,” a new documentary film by Jane Goodall, one of the world’s leading conservationists, highlights projects that are protecting and enhancing the Earth’s environment. Among endeavors Goodall reports on are those led by Klaus Lackner, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and founding director of  the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions. The documentary focuses on Lackner’s pioneering technology to remove carbon dioxide from air to help clean up the atmosphere and to store carbon underground to be used to support plant growth in greenhouses.

  • New scholarship empowers students to take charge of environmental stewardship

    New scholarship empowers students to take charge of environmental stewardship

    Fulton Schools civil, environmental and sustainable engineering doctoral student Taylor Fisher is one of three ASU students recently awarded an ASU Canon Solutions America Environmental Equity Scholarship. The scholarship awards established by Canon Solutions America, Inc., and ASU’s African and African American Faculty and Staff Association support work by students demonstrating an strong interest in environmental protection. Fisher is working on using nanomaterials to remove biological contaminants from drinking water. She has done field work through a research exchange program with the University of South Africa and plans to continue her work in a postdoctoral position in Africa before pursuing a university career in the U.S.

  • New technique to recover lead in end-of-life solar panels

    New technique to recover lead in end-of-life solar panels

    Effective recycling of materials from solar energy panels has been a continuing challenge, especially because of the toxic lead materials in the panels’ photovoltaic modules. Now research led in part by Meng Tao, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, shows promise for enabling development of a method for recovery of the lead materials from the panels as part of the recycling process. The process is designed to allow recovery of lead after being converted to it metallic form, which will enable the material to sold back to the solar energy industry for safe reuse.

  • ASU professor developing safety framework for autonomous vehicles

    ASU professor developing safety framework for autonomous vehicles

    Autonomous automobiles are likely going to increasingly be a part of our transportation options in the not too distant future. But along with the navigating systems and other control features being developed to get these vehicles ready for wide use, engineers are also working to ensure these cars have adequate and dependable safety systems. Junfeng Zhao, a mechanical engineer and assistant professor in The Polytechnic School, one of the Fulton Schools, is developing ways to test such new safety systems thoroughly and responsibly. He hopes his research will help lead to advances that will encourage government regulatory agencies and drivers to gain confidence in self-driving cars.

July

2023
  • TSMC, ASU form partnership to boost student recruitment, faculty research

    TSMC, ASU form partnership to boost student recruitment, faculty research

    Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, known as TSMC, and the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering have formed a partnership to enhance student support, training, and recruitment, as well as faculty research. The collaboration aims to strengthen ASU’s relationship with the leading semiconductor chip manufacturer, TSMC, and deepen ties between the university and the Phoenix community. ASU will provide a skilled workforce to support TSMC’s advanced semiconductor manufacturing technology in the US. The partnership includes educational commitments, talent pipeline expansion, non-degree professional education, student support, and faculty engagement. The collaboration seeks to benefit the industry and community, fostering stable employment and boosting the local economy. (Access to the full content of Phoenix Business Journal online is available only to subscribers.)

    See also: New Prototyping Facility to Grant Semiconductor Space Access to Students and Startups’, BollyInside, July 28 

    ASU, TSMC announce partnership for workforce and research innovation’, ASU News, Jul 28

  • ASU, Mexico advance CHIPS Act support

    ASU, Mexico advance CHIPS Act support

    Fulton Schools faculty members led a workshop to help kickoff ASU’s effort to bring the semiconductor industry into Mexico in support of the objectives of the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act to strengthen manufacturing, supply chains and national security. Professors Michael Kozicki and Terry Alford offered the workshop to a large group of faculty members from more than 25 institutions of higher education throughout Mexico. The country’s ambassador to the U.S. addressed workshop participants, saying the event helped set the stage for pursuing the larger goal of positioning North America to be more globally competitive in the high-tech marketplace.

  • How your gut can tell you more about your relationships

    How your gut can tell you more about your relationships

    Research is revealing connections between our brains and our guts that can have impacts on our communications skills and the quality of our relationships. Fulton Schools Professor Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, director of ASU’s Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes, talks about results of her recent studies with a health expert that indicate interactions between the human gut and brain correlate with couples’ satisfaction with their relationships. People with less diversity among the microbiomes in their guts tend to have less successful relationships. Listen to a podcast discussion about the research and related studies.

  • Phoenix is Enduring its Hottest Month on Record, But Mitigations Could Make the City’s Heat Waves Less Unbearable

    Phoenix is Enduring its Hottest Month on Record, But Mitigations Could Make the City’s Heat Waves Less Unbearable

    As urban centers like Phoenix grow, they tend to significantly increase the number of buildings and other infrastructure with the kinds of surfaces that reflect and radiate heat into the environment. More paved roads and parking lots add to the plethora of “heat sponges” that store heat in the day and reflect it back into the surrounding atmosphere at night, preventing areas from cooling down, says Ariane Middel, an urban climatologist and an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. More shade-producing trees, reflective pavements, smaller parking lots and lighter roofs would make the metro area less prone to overheating in the future, Middel says.

  • $270M Materials-to-Fab Center to be built at ASU’s MacroTechnology Works in Tempe

    $270M Materials-to-Fab Center to be built at ASU’s MacroTechnology Works in Tempe

    Arizona State University and Applied Materials Inc. are collaborating on a $270 million Materials-to-Fab Center, which aims to accelerate the transformation of lab innovations into real-life solutions. The cutting-edge prototyping facility will provide ASU students with hands-on experience and training in microelectronics, meeting the demand for skilled workers in the industry. Kyle Squires, vice provost of engineering, computing and technology at ASU, said that Applied Materials’ equipment is world-class and will advance the research skills of ASU faculty and students. The university plans to continue building a strong research community and enhancing its ecosystem for turning ideas into prototypes.

    See also: ‘$270M Materials-to-Fab Center to be built at ASU’s MacroTechnology Works in Tempe’, Fagen Wasanni Technologies, July 28

    New Prototyping Facility to Grant Semiconductor Space Access to Students and Startups’, BollyInside, July 28 

    TSMC, ASU form partnership to boost student recruitment, faculty research’, Phoenix Business Journal, Jul 28

  • Shade is an essential solution for hotter cities

    Shade is an essential solution for hotter cities

    Urban planners should prioritize ridding cities and towns of “shade deserts” to give communities a stronger defense against the levels of heat that are exposing people to serious health risks. Ariane Middel, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, a part of the Fulton Schools, along with ASU research colleagues Jennifer Vanos and V. Kelly Turner, write that providing shade to shield people from the Sun is among the most effective and less costly ways to prevent harm from extreme temperatures, but those measures are frequently not a significant part of urban planning and climate-change mitigation strategies.

  • Shedding light on a dark problem

    Shedding light on a dark problem

    Bacterial biofilms are clusters of microorganisms that pose risks to water quality and engineered systems by causing corrosion, fouling, and clogging. Researchers are using LEDs connected to side-emitting optical fibers to effectively deliver UV-C light, reducing energy use by over 80%. Paul Westerhoff, a Regents Professor for the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, says that ultraviolet light has the ability to deactivate bacteria and microorganisms in water but that there are challenges in delivering light effectively to surfaces in pressurized water systems. The technique shows promise in improving the safety and efficiency of water treatment systems, including in challenging environments like the International Space Station. 

    See also: ‘Shedding light on a dark problem‘ Phys.Org, July 25

  • A sweaty robot may help humans understand impact of soaring heat

    A sweaty robot may help humans understand impact of soaring heat

    Amid the longest heatwave in Phoenix’s history, Arizona researchers have developed a humanoid robot called ANDI (Advanced Newton Dynamic Instrument) to study the effects of extreme heat on the human body. With an internal cooling system and sensors to assess heat distribution, ANDI simulates human responses without risking lives. The robot will enhance understanding of hyperthermia, a condition threatening more people due to global warming.  Konrad Rykaczewski, an associate professor of the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, says ANDI will shed light on how humans can adapt clothing and behaviors to cope with rising temperatures on a warming planet.

     

    See Also: ‘A sweaty robot may help humans understand impact of soaring heat’, Manila Times, July 22 

    ‘Sweaty robot might help humans as heat rises’, Taipei Times, July 23 

    ‘This sweating, breathing, and walking robot to unravel effect of heat on humans’, Social News XYZ,  July 24

    Scientists develop world’s 1st thermal robot to study heat stress in humans,’ Bizz Buzz, July 26

  • Automated car safety

    Automated car safety

    Advanced computer hardware and software, along with artificial intelligence, monitoring and data collection technologies, are being used by Yezhou Yang to develop ways to make autonomous automobiles safer. Yang , an associate professor of computer science and engineering in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, utilizes roadside cameras to closely record and examine a variety of traffic scenarios. Information and insights derived from analyzing those automotive travel environments provides information to guide the design of effective safety features that can be built into vehicle automation systems. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock 

  • Valley-based dating app uses AI to enhance user experience

    Valley-based dating app uses AI to enhance user experience

    An app designed to make matches between potential romantic partners through their similar tastes in music is one of the first dating apps to use artificial intelligence, or AI, technology. Named Vinylly, the app developed seven years ago now has a new AI feature — called a cocktail lounge feature. While the app may be an effective matchmaker, Subbarao Kambhampati, an AI expert and professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, says the type of personal information Vinylly provides could be misused with ill intent. The company’s founder says the information gathered by the app is communicated only in the best interests of its users.

  • The U.S. is about to open a new window into Earth’s mysterious insides

    The U.S. is about to open a new window into Earth’s mysterious insides

    Several ASU faculty members and researchers, as well as ASU laboratories and related facilities, are involved in endeavors to probe the deepest reaches of Earth. Among the scientists and engineers is Fulton Schools Professor Alexandra Navrotksy, director of the Navrotsky Eyring Center for Materials of the Universe at ASU. The aim of the work is to answer fundamental questions about the planet, including what makes Earth habitable, how life on the planet emerged and how geologic processes sustain life today. Researchers say their efforts could yield more information about the history of solar systems and the evolution of planets.

  • Grant to fund microfactories, technology transfer, economic development for Indigenous communities

    Grant to fund microfactories, technology transfer, economic development for Indigenous communities

    As part of a new pilot program called the Indigenous Innovation Network — Advancing Distributed Manufacturing Innovations in Tribal Communities, being funded by the National Science Foundation, Navajo Technical University will work with ASU’s Global Center for Technology Transfer to develop microfactories and technology centers in the Navajo Nation. To support the new program, the  School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, part of the Fulton Schools, will help to equip the new network’s sites with state-of-the-art technology under the direction of the school’s director, Professor Binil Starly. The endeavor is designed to promote economic growth and provide pathways to careers in ways consistent with traditional Navajo values.

  • ASU summer program draws students from around the world to tackle global challenges

    ASU summer program draws students from around the world to tackle global challenges

    Students from India, Indonesia, Mexico, Montenegro and the Philippines recently gathered at ASU for the two-week Sustainability and Innovation Summer Experience to devise solutions to the challenges defined in the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. The School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, was among the ASU schools and programs that supported the event designed to equip students with skills and knowledge to promote change to improve their communities. The event included a visit to the ASU Luminosity Lab, where many Fulton Schools students have gained research experience since the lab opened almost seven years ago.

  • How extreme heat takes a toll on the mind and body, according to experts

    How extreme heat takes a toll on the mind and body, according to experts

    With the metro Phoenix area experiencing a summer that might break records for the number of days of excessive heat, health officials and others are warning about the consequences of exposure to the high temperatures. Among those experts are ASU faculty members who have been doing extensive research into the impacts of heat on the human body. Jennifer Vanos, an associate professor in ASU’s School of Sustainability, has been working with Fulton Schools faculty members to expand knowledge about the serious health risks posed by heat and high humidity. Many of the dangers — and how to avoid them — are detailed in this Fox10 News report. Read more about the ASU research.

    See Also: In Phoenix, The Robot Andi Assesses The Consequences Of The Heat Wave On The Human Body, Globe Echo World News, July 13

  • Q&AZ: Is it safe to bake cookies inside your car in Phoenix?

    Q&AZ: Is it safe to bake cookies inside your car in Phoenix?

    As temperatures rise in the desert, Arizonans are once again engaging in the summer tradition of baking cookies in their cars. While sustainable and entertaining, the thermodynamics behind the process brings up a conversation about food safety practices. Ariane Middel, an assistant professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, calculated that on a 100-degree day, the dashboard of a car parked in the sun spiked to 157 degrees Fahrenheit in 60 minutes. Middel says it may take over four hours for cookies to become safe to eat and also advises not to try this with poultry or anything else requiring thorough cooking, just to be safe.

  • ASU, Applied Materials establishing semiconductor research and development center in Tempe

    ASU, Applied Materials establishing semiconductor research and development center in Tempe

    Students will get hands-on experience in computer chip production at the Materials-to-Fab Center scheduled to open in 2025 in ASU’s MacroTechnology Works facility at the ASU Research Park in Tempe. The center, a collaboration of ASU and Applied Materials Inc., a global supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, will provide resources to accelerate materials engineering innovation and conduct research, development and prototyping to support the greater Phoenix area’s growing semiconductor industry. The company also plans to launch an endowment fund to provide scholarships to first-generation and underrepresented minority students in the Fulton Schools and create a fund to provide grants to women pursuing undergraduate degrees in engineering at ASU.

    See Also: ‘Innovation and job-creation engine’: ASU, Applied Materials to create research center in Tempe, Arizona Republic, July 11

    Arizona State University and Applied Materials, Inc. to Create Materials-to-Fab Center, MarketScreener, July 11

    ASU, Applied Materials to create Materials-to-Fab Center at ASU Research Park, ASU News, July 11

    ASU and Applied Materials create Materials-to-Fab Center at ASU Research Park, AZ Big Media, July 11

    More news coverage: Printed Electronics Now, Power Electronics News, KJZZ (NPR) News, Arizona Today, AXIOS, Semiconductor Digest, Arizona Foothills Magazine, Campus Technology, Manufacturing Dive, Arizona Technology Council News, Asia Electronics Industry, ASM International

  • 5 ASU faculty receive NSF CAREER awards

    5 ASU faculty receive NSF CAREER awards

    The National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Program funds work by those considered to be the nation’s most promising young faculty members to pursue progress in research, teaching and integration of education and research in science and engineering fields. Among five ASU faculty members to recently be awarded funding from the program, three are assistant professors in the Fulton Schools. Ayan Mallik, an electrical engineer, works to improve electrical systems’ performance and reliability. Ruijie Zeng focuses on reengineering agricultural drainage infrastructure to advance water resource management and conservation. Houlong Zhuang combines alloy design and quantum computing to create quantum algorithms to help develop new materials.

  • How ASU And Its Faculty Are Cracking Down On Dishonest Uses of AI

    How ASU And Its Faculty Are Cracking Down On Dishonest Uses of AI

    Artificially intelligent “ghostwriters” are a go-to technology for today’s college students prone to taking an easy path to completing writing assignments. Use of popular and easily accessible generative AI technologies like CHATGPT for schoolwork is a violation of ASU’s academic integrity policy, and university leaders are trying to crack down on violators. But Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, is among faculty members who want to actively discourage the use of AI when it amounts to cheating, but at the same time not suppress the creative ways AI could be used to enhance teaching and learning.

  • Improving Solar Cell

    Improving Solar Cell

    Kausar Khawaja talks about his transcontinental journey to further pursue advanced education in engineering at ASU. Born in Budga, India, Khawaja earned a bachelor’s degree from Aligarh Muslim University in India, a master’s degree from Dong-A University in South Korea, and is now pursuing a doctoral degree in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools. His research focuses on developing cost-effective and sustainable alternative materials for use in solar cells. Khawaja says he has gained an appreciation for the importance of research-based learning and hopes to contribute to research and development in his field for the benefit of his community in India.

  • America Is Wrapped In Miles Of Toxic Lead Cables

    America Is Wrapped In Miles Of Toxic Lead Cables

    Thousands of cables containing lead installed throughout the U.S. by telecom companies decades ago are still in places where they can be significant environmental and public health hazards through exposure to toxic materials, primarily lead. Braden Allenby, a professor in the School of Sustainability and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, is a former environmental health and safety official for American Telephone and Telegraph, which installed many of these cables from the late 1800s to the 1960s. He says many of the old lead-containing cables were left in the ground even after the industry began using safer plastic sheathing and fiber optics instead of lead.

  • Transfer student turns interest in electrical engineering into career with MyPath2ASU

    Transfer student turns interest in electrical engineering into career with MyPath2ASU

    Jared Gale graduated from the Fulton Schools with a degree in electrical engineering after getting help transferring from Central Arizona College through the MyPath2ASU program. Support from the program enabled Gale to make the transfer while minimizing the loss of academic credit and saving time and money. He also credits his success to campus organizations and programs that provided opportunities to enhance his education and work as a teaching assistant, and professors who gave him time to care for his daughter, and to his work in an undergraduate teaching program. He now has a job in environmental testing. Gale is pictured (at right) in the photo with Professor Stephen Phillips, director of the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools.

  • Modifying algae to make rare antioxidants in extreme environments

    Modifying algae to make rare antioxidants in extreme environments

    Genetically engineering algae has produced a pigment that can be used in medicine and textiles and for making seafood healthier. Those are among results of a collaboration between researchers at ASU’s Arizona Center for Algae Technology & Innovation and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, or KAUST. The research shows algae also has the potential for use as a sustainable solution for challenges in the food and health industries, says Kyle J. Lauerson, a KAUST assistant professor of bioengineering. Peter Lammers, a research professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, says these algae also show promise for innovative industrial applications.

  • Scientists found a solution to recycle solar panels in your kitchen

    Scientists found a solution to recycle solar panels in your kitchen

    Growing use of solar power is a good thing, but a drawback is that recycling of old solar panels remains difficult and expensive. That could lead to the panels piling up in landfills, and environmental harm coming from the small amounts of toxic metals in the panels. Researchers are working on solutions. One may be using microwave technology — the kind used to heat food — to heat up parts of solar panels, making it easier to take them apart and recover materials. Meng Tao, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, and founder of a Tucson-based solar panel recycling company, talks about the challenges of recycling panels and some steps toward progress. The article is also published in The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington).

  • Alum, academic associate prepares engineering graduates for workforce

    Alum, academic associate prepares engineering graduates for workforce

    Facebook’s director of engineering, who has extensive experience in data security, privacy and governance, is now an academic associate in the Fulton Schools, with the goal of better preparing ASU engineering graduates for the challenges of the workplace in his areas of expertise. An ASU alumnus who earned a degree in computer science, Nishant Bhajaria went on to work for Uber, Google, Netflix, Intel and Nike. He will now apply what he has learned in industry to helping engineering faculty members enhance academic instruction and establishing corporate partnerships to provide more internship opportunities for students.

  • Experts give advice on selecting sunscreens

    Experts give advice on selecting sunscreens

    Frequently and thoroughly applied sunscreen lotion is critical to protecting people spending time outdoors in the hot, dry, sun-drenched Southwest. Among experts advocating for sunscreen use is Paul Westerhoff, a Fulton Schools professor of environmental engineering. He says it’s especially important to keep lathering on the lotion that protects against the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight, especially if you’re in a pool, river, lake, ocean or other places where sunscreen can dissolve or be washed off. Westerhoff and a dermatologist  emphasize that some sunblock products don’t have a high percentage of actual sunblocking ingredients, like zinc oxide. So, it’s important to reapply heavily and often.

June

2023

May

2023
  • Should we know where our friends are at all times?

    Should we know where our friends are at all times?

    Advances in location-finding technology is making it look as if the capability to find and track the movement of almost anyone, anywhere might become a reality. That possibility is raising questions about not only the potential for violation of peoples’ privacy but also for becoming a threat to their safety. Location sharing was introduced about six years ago by Google on its Map function. Since then, Snapchat launched Snap Map, allowing users to see where their contacts are at any time. Apple later merged the Find My iPhone and Find My Friends apps into the “Find My”app. Katina Michael, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, raises concerns about the use of such systems leading to “uberveillance,” widespread surveillance of people by other people, companies and governments.

  • $70M Grant to ASU to Bolster Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute

    $70M Grant to ASU to Bolster Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute

    Fulton Schools researchers will be involved in a new U.S. Department of Energy Clean Energy Manufacturing Institute, helping ASU to oversee a coalition working with the Electrified Processes for Industry Without Carbon, or EPIXC, program. The goal is to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in various industry sectors using cost-effective methods. EPIXC director Sridhar Seetharaman, the Fulton Schools vice dean of research and innovation, says the work is part of larger U.S. transition to a clean energy future. Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools, foresees the program producing new generations of engineering leaders prepared to make major strides in technological progress.

  • ASU researchers team with HyperX to predict gamer performance under pressure

    ASU researchers team with HyperX to predict gamer performance under pressure

    Research by the adidas-ASU Center for Engagement Science focuses on understanding human behavior and perception to improve athletic performance. But the research can apply to other endeavors in which people must perform well in high-pressure situations. A recent project involved a collaboration with a company that develops products for gamers to see if biometric data can predict drops in performance of both gamers and people in jobs that require working under pressure. The research team included Karthikeyan Manikandan and Justin Irby, who recently earned master’s degrees in biomedical engineering from the Fulton Schools, and current biomedical engineering graduate student Krishna Suketh Madduri.

  • What if generative AI destroys biometric security?

    What if generative AI destroys biometric security?

    Use of advanced biometric security systems is on the rise. The emerging technology can identify people based on individual physical and behavioral characteristics. While its accuracy can strengthen security operations, technologists and researchers are concerned about the serious repercussions that could result if these systems are hacked. In this podcast, experts discuss how artificial intelligence technology could enable such hacking and what cybersecurity solutions could be developed to prevent it. Katina Michael, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, joins the conversation. (Access to the full content of The Economist online is available only to subscribers.)

  • Promises and Lies of ChatGPT — Understanding How It Works

    Promises and Lies of ChatGPT — Understanding How It Works

    Insights into the workings of the increasingly popular artificial intelligence, or AI, technology ChatGPT are provided by AI expert Subbarao Kambhampati (pictured), a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. Kambhampati, director of the Yochan lab, where research focuses in part on human-aware AI systems, discusses the potential of ChatGPT and similar systems to be productive, educational and otherwise helpful in positive ways. But he also stresses the limitations and problematic aspects of such AI technology that can result in negative consequences, including the proliferation of superficial and untrustworthy communications.

  • Abu Dhabi University concludes 4th ADU-ASU Research Forum 2023

    Abu Dhabi University concludes 4th ADU-ASU Research Forum 2023

    Progress in advancing sustainability in the use of one of the world’s most widely used construction materials — concrete— was the focus of the recent Abu Dhabi University and Arizona State University Research Forum. The event was presented in collaboration with the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. The theme was significant contributions to new construction technologies and methods, particularly the production of 3D printing of sustainable concrete that withstands extreme environmental conditions. Fulton Schools Professor Narayanan Neithalath said the event spotlighted international partnerships and other collective efforts that are producing innovative solutions leading to more effective construction and infrastructure resilience.

  • The man behind the Memorial for the Fallen

    The man behind the Memorial for the Fallen

    Scottsdale city officials and members of the local American Legion Post 44 held a special Memorial Day commemoration of U.S. Marine Corps veteran Jim Geiser, a 1977 ASU graduate who in 2018 was presented the university’ Outstanding Civil Engineering Alumni Award. After 29 years in the military, Geiser had a decades-long engineering career while being active in the community by supporting the Junior Achievement program, Valley Big Brother program and Scottsdale Bible Church. His civic endeavors also included years helping to lead a committee to raise funds for the Scottsdale Memorial for the Fallen to honor U.S. armed forces veterans.

  • Here are the winners of the 2023 Champions of Change Awards

    Here are the winners of the 2023 Champions of Change Awards

    ASU alumnus Rumpa Dey (third from left in photo) is among winners of Arizona Business Magazine’s 2023 Champions of Change Awards. Dey earned a master’s degree in the civil, environmental and sustainable engineering, with a focus on transportation systems, in the School of School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. The Champions of Change Awards recognize innovators who are changing Arizona’s business landscape through leadership and visionary thinking. Dey won the Business Leader of the Year Award for small and medium-sized companies. Dey works for the AECOM company, which plans, designs, engineers and manages infrastructure projects.

  • Glowing Squirrels And The Search For ‘Why’

    Glowing Squirrels And The Search For ‘Why’

    It was only several years ago a college forestry professor got the first known look at a biofluorescent mammal, a glowing flying squirrel. On the “Points North” podcast, Jon Martin talks about his discovery, which has led to years of research into what other animals have this characteristic and what causes it. Thomas Seager, an associate professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, delves into the roots and rigors of scientific inquiry in discussing the challenge of explaining the “why” of such phenomena. But one thing is certain, the number of mammals and marine creatures that we now know can glow has been growing.

  • Meet the world’s 1st outdoor sweating, breathing and walking manikin

    Meet the world’s 1st outdoor sweating, breathing and walking manikin

    A specially designed thermal manikin that can walk, breathe, sweat and generate heat is helping ASU researchers to better understand the impacts of environmental heat on the human body — and to find ways to help people cope with the world’s rising temperatures.  Fulton Schools Associate Professor Konrad Rykaczewski is the principal investigator for research funded by the National Science Foundation that will use the manikin named ANDI to find ways people can deal more effectively with heat stress and avoid experiencing heat-related illness. ANDI is being teamed with MaRTy, a biometeorological heat robot used by Ariane Middel, an urban climatologist and an assistant professor affiliated with the Fulton Schools.

    See Also: Meet ANDI: A ‘manikin’ at ASU that can breathe, sweat and shiver like a human, 3TV/CBS 5 News-Phoenix, June 7

    ASU studying heat in a unique way, ABC15 News-Arizona, June 5

    ANDI the manikin can take the heat. ASU hopes it can also help people weather hotter days, Arizona Republic, June 3

    This mannequin sweats, and it’s helping ASU researchers understand heat stress, Fronteras (KJZZ-NPR), June 1

  • AI Robots Are Here. Are We Ready?

    AI Robots Are Here. Are We Ready?

    Are humans ready to cope with robots that are getting smarter and more intuitive? As advances in artificial intelligence combine with the expanding dexterity of robotic technologies, experts foresee new interconnections between people and robots. Nancy Cooke, a professor in The Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools, and director of the Center for Human, Artificial Intelligence, and Robot Teaming says there are still many areas in which AI algorithms can’t match human thinking and learning capabilities. But Cooke still sees robots having increasingly significant roles in society, many involving direct human-robot interaction. She and other experts advise taking a cautious approach in developing and managing those relationships.

  • Listening for neurological symptoms

    Listening for neurological symptoms

    Unusual vocal patterns and small, subtle changes in human speech have been found to be clues that people have disabling conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Two ASU faculty members whose research focuses in part on detecting symptoms of neurological problems and helping health professionals effectively diagnose and treat the maladies have teamed up to expand their efforts. Visar Berisha, a Fulton Schools electrical engineering professor and Julie Liss, a speech pathologist in ASU’s College of Health Solutions, have co-founded Aural Analytics to provide tools to identify hidden signs of speech pathology related to neurological diseases or injuries.

  • Public and private support for applied research drives innovation in Arizona

    Public and private support for applied research drives innovation in Arizona

    Arizona could move up in the ranks of leaders in technological innovation and contributors to strengthening the global economy by expanding efforts to boost applied research endeavors. Thomas Sugar, professor and graduate program chair for engineering and manufacturing engineering in The Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools, says applied research is geared to developing innovative products that could give Arizona an edge in the worldwide market. A commentary coauthored by Sugar, Empire Southwest executive Chris Zaharis and GoX Labs CEO Joe Hitt, says Arizona could open new opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses, create new industries and jobs, attract new investment and spur commercialization of new technologies — all of which would combine to improve the quality of life for more Arizonans.

  • Applied Materials to set up academia-industry R&D center

    Applied Materials to set up academia-industry R&D center

    Applied Materials, a leading materials engineering company, is setting up a major research center for industry and academia to collaborate on advancing semiconductor process technology and manufacturing equipment. The venture is designed to expand the company’s relationships with top engineering schools by developing the Equipment and Process Innovation and Commercialization, or EPIC, Center. The effort will build on materials science and semiconductor technology research the company is already doing with Fulton Schools faculty and students. Applied Materials expects the university partnerships to be a catalyst for accelerating commercialization of what academic research produces and for strengthening the pipeline of future semiconductor industry talent. A company news release details the scope and goals of plan.  

    See Also: Applied Materials to build $4 billion R&D center in Silicon Valley, eenews (Europe)

    Applied Materials to Invest $4B in EPIC Center for Semiconductor R&D, Display Daily

  • Medical AI’s weaponization

    Medical AI’s weaponization

    Some of the most interesting and promising artificial intelligence innovation is beginning to be used in the health care field. But there is also deep concern that along with making medical diagnoses more accurate or pointing the way to cures, machine learning technology might also generate misleading or inaccurate information that could do serious harm. As the use of these technologies increases in medical care, the World Health Organization and other groups are warning about the potential risks of bias, misinformation and privacy violations that may result from use of smart technologies in health care.

    See Also: AI in Medicine Is Overhyped, Scientific American
    Visar Berisha and Julie Liss write that AI models for health care that predict disease are not as accurate as reports might suggest.

    Berisha is an associate professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, and in ASU’s College of Health Solutions. Liss is a professor and associate dean of the College of Health Solutions.

  • Start students early to build semiconductor talent pipeline

    Start students early to build semiconductor talent pipeline

    States hoping to benefit economically from the predicted boom in semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S. could lose that opportunity if they don’t have enough workers trained to fill new jobs. That’s why it’s crucial to educate more students about the prospects for career success in the semiconductor and microelectronics industries, says Michel Kinsy, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. Kinsy is director of ASU’s Secure, Trusted and Assured Microelectronics, or STAM, Center, which has undergraduate and postgraduate studies in its six research laboratories and summer programs to help students develop skills needed to get into the semiconductor employment pipeline.

  • ASU-designed fiber-reinforced concrete speeds up Phoenix rapid transit construction

    ASU-designed fiber-reinforced concrete speeds up Phoenix rapid transit construction

    Recent construction of Metro Phoenix light rail transportation system extensions took less time and funding than is typical, boosted the system’s sustainability and kept workers safer. All of that is largely the result of a proposal from Barzin Mobasher, a professor of structural engineering in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. Mobasher recommended using fiber-reinforced concrete instead of rebar-supported slabs for the system upgrade. That approach resulted in parts of the process that typically take weeks to instead be completed in hours rather than days. Overall, the project required fewer expenses for construction equipment, concrete shipping and production and building site security, as well as fewer traffic delays.

    See Also: Using Fiber-Reinforced Concrete for Phoenix Rapid Transit Construction Reduces Costs and Improves Worker Safety, AZO Materials, May 24

    Fiber-reinforced Concrete Speeds Construction, Reduces Costs, Modern Contractors Solutions, 2019 ASU News article reposted on May 25

    Rebar is out, fiber is in: Valley Metro finishes light rail slabs for the latest extension, Fronteras (KJZZ), May 25

    The article is also posted on Highways Today: Fibre-reinforced Concrete speeds up Metro Phoenix Light Rail Extension Construction, May 26, and AZ Big Media: How ASU-designed fiber-reinforced concrete speeds up construction, May 26

  • Arizona State University picked to establish clean energy institute

    Arizona State University picked to establish clean energy institute

    A planned multi-institution research coalition, Electrified Processes for Industry Without Carbon, or EPIXC, will be led by ASU as part of the Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute being developed by the university. Sridhar Seetharaman, the Fulton Schools vice dean for research and innovation and director of EPIXC, says the new coalition and institute are expected be play a significant role in the nation’s transition to clean energy. The effort to reduce emissions from manufacturing facilities by transitioning to electrified and low-carbon fuel and energy sources will especially benefit communities that have seen negative health consequences because of their proximity to industrial operations such as petrochemical plants.

    See Also: Arizona State University Chosen to Head New DOE Institute: Driving Industrial Decarbonization and Electrification Forward, Energy Capital, May 22

    Eliminating CO2 Emissions From Manufacturing is Goal of Major Research Alliance, UT News (University of Texas), May 22

    Arizona State University selected to lead clean energy manufacturing institute, Manufacturing Dive, May 23

    ASU to lead new DOE Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute, ASU News, May 16

  • Restrictions, emerging contaminants add to challenges of AZ water treatment

    Restrictions, emerging contaminants add to challenges of AZ water treatment

    The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality faces a big challenge in ensuring the state’s water sources are monitored, tested and treated for contaminants in a timely and adequately comprehensive fashion. Various factors are combining to dampen the possibility of effectively improving on the current operations, says Treavor Boyer, program chair for the environmental emerging degree program in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. Boyer and other experts are concerned that it could take years to effectively grasp the levels of contaminants in Arizona’s water infrastructure and implement actions to remedy threats to public health and environmental degradation.

  • Gilbert grad grateful for his education at ASU

    Gilbert grad grateful for his education at ASU

    Kwam Kassim passed up a college football scholarship after deciding the sport was not his passion. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before curiosity about computer coding motivated him to take a leap into studying software engineering in the Fulton Schools’ online program. That step was made possible by his mother, an Uber driver, who took advantage of the company’s tuition-coverage program for qualifying drivers and their family members. Kassim’s studies introduced him to possibilities the field presents to help solve real-world problems. He credits Fulton Schools Faculty Associate Diego del Blanco for teaching him to persevere through difficult times during his studies. Now, with a degree in software engineering, Kassim is an engineer for Starbucks.

    See Also: Former student-athlete finds passion and purpose in engineering, ASU News, April 19

  • Empowering the Pacific: ASU chosen to lead clean energy project in Fiji

    Empowering the Pacific: ASU chosen to lead clean energy project in Fiji

    To aid development of an important international partner in the South Pacific, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency is launching a project to help the island of Fiji bring electricity to its rural areas and to generate power from renewable energy sources by 2030. The initial work to be done in the Accelerating Solar Mini-Grid Deployment project in Fiji will be led by the Laboratory for Energy And Power Solutions, or LEAPS, directed by Nathan Johnson (second from right in photo), an assistant professor in The Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools. LEAPS has conducted more than 100 mini-energy grid and micro-grid assessments in various countries, developing innovative approaches to engineering the grids and ensuring their long-term sustainability. A version of the article is also published in the Queen Creek Sun Times.

  • Biden Administration to support workforce in Phoenix, Tempe as ASU is selected to lead clean energy project

    Biden Administration to support workforce in Phoenix, Tempe as ASU is selected to lead clean energy project

    The strategy of President Biden’s Administration to fill jobs created by the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act include investments to boost the U.S. economy through supporting workforce growth in Phoenix and Tempe. The plan involves establishing a partnership with the National League of Cities to develop solutions to upskill and reskill workers for high-demand jobs. Those efforts include establishing a Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute at Arizona State University and launching an ASU-led Electrified Processes for Industry Without Carbon project. Sridhar Seetharaman, Fulton Schools vice dean for research and innovation, will direct the new institute’s work to transition to clean electricity for operations that prepare materials and manufactured goods.

  • ASU hosts first-ever tri-nation North America Semiconductor Conference

    ASU hosts first-ever tri-nation North America Semiconductor Conference

    Government officials from the U.S., Mexico and Canada joined business and academic leaders in Washington, D.C., to discuss strategies to keep North America at the forefront of the global semiconductor industry. As part of the event, Jose Quiroga, director of global development for the Office of Global Outreach and Extended Education in ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, helped to lead discussion during the Future of North America’s Semiconductor Workforce session. Arizona is expected to have a major role in efforts to boost the semiconductor manufacturing sector in the U.S., due in part to the many new engineers being produced by the Fulton Schools and two large semiconductor chip manufacturing centers being built in Phoenix that are expected to create 4,500 jobs.

  • Colorado prepares to manage carbon dioxide sequestration, geothermal and change oil regulator

    Colorado prepares to manage carbon dioxide sequestration, geothermal and change oil regulator

    Colorado’s Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is changing its name and its mission. As the new Energy and Carbon Management Commission, the agency will regulate underground carbon sequestration and geothermal wells used as a source of emissions-free energy. The change is in response to the emergence of a new industry focusing on managing carbon dioxide sequestration. The agency (director Jeff Robbins is pictured) will oversee permitting and regulation of carbon sequestration wells where captured carbon dioxide will be injected underground for permanent storage. A growing global industry will emerge from advances in carbon management in coming years, says Fulton Schools Professor Klaus Lackner, director of the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions at ASU, adding that more needs to be done to ensure effective environmental management of the sequestration process. (Access to the Business Journal content is available only to subscribers.)

  • A Groundbreaking PFAS Treatment Permanently Destroys Forever Chemicals in Drinking Water

    A Groundbreaking PFAS Treatment Permanently Destroys Forever Chemicals in Drinking Water

    Significant progress in water purification is being made by researchers at universities in the U.S. and Canada, including advances emerging from work led by Fulton Schools Professor Bruce Rittmann, director of the Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology at ASU’s Biodesign Institute. His team has deployed groups of microorganisms that rid water of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS. These toxic chemicals, which have seeped into water supplies far and wide, pose health risks to humans and threaten the environment. The microorganisms being used in the ASU research are acting like “PFAS assassins,” raising hope that a surefire solution has been found to the water contamination caused by these chemicals.

  • Educating and inspiring students about print and graphics industry trends

    Educating and inspiring students about print and graphics industry trends

    A subsidiary of Canon U.S.A, a leader in providing of consumer, business-to-business and industrial digital imaging solutions, is expanding its support of higher education. That includes making ASU a partner in its Canon Solutions America University Inkjet Program, which is designed to support the next generation of content creators and leaders in the print and graphics communications industries. Fulton Schools Professor of Practice Penny Ann Dolin and Faculty Associate Patricia Perigo in the graphic information technology program at The Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools, foresee the partnership giving students opportunities to be part of efforts to produce real-world design and print solutions. The article also appears in Yahoo Finance

  • EPA’s crackdown on power plant emissions is a big first step – but without strong certification, it will be hard to ensure captured carbon stays put

    EPA’s crackdown on power plant emissions is a big first step – but without strong certification, it will be hard to ensure captured carbon stays put

    Significant sums of money are going to be spent on technologies that capture carbon dioxide as the U.S. government’s efforts to restrict greenhouse gas emissions from power plants kick into high gear. Reducing those emissions is critical to diminishing the detrimental impacts of greenhouse gases on the planet’s climate. Fulton Schools Professor Klaus Lackner, director or ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, and Stephanie Arcusa, a postdoctoral carbon sequestration researcher, say if the plan is to work as intended it must ensure carbon capture and storage are closely monitored and adequately certified. They propose a framework for designing effective carbon dioxide storage and sequestration — and for ensuring regulation of these processes is strictly enforced. 

  • New model for predicting adsorption of PFAS by microplastics

    New model for predicting adsorption of PFAS by microplastics

    Trillions of small pieces of plastic pollution are in oceans, rivers and lakes throughout the world, including types of plastics that can adsorb and transport toxic substances called “forever chemicals,” which can find their way into humans and animals. François Perreault, an associate professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, is collaborating with other environmental engineers at the University of Maine on a project using a new type of model for predicting whether any given kind of microplastic would adsorb any specific type of these chemicals and at what concentration. It’s part of a broader effort by researchers at the two universities to more deeply explore the interactions between microplastics and various chemicals. The article is also published in BusinessNews.

  • Strategic partnerships help fuel workforce readiness for ASU students

    Strategic partnerships help fuel workforce readiness for ASU students

    ASU’s partnerships with leading technology companies are paying off for students by providing them valuable learning experiences beyond the classroom. While studying to become a software engineer, Fulton Schools graduate student Sushmitha Reddy joined the ASU Smart City Cloud Innovation Center. That enabled her to work with the Amazon Web Services company. She contributed to work in the company’s Cloud Innovation Center and used advanced smart technologies like machine learning in a project for the Phoenix Police Department. Reddy recently graduated with a degree information technology, a resume filled with job experience and two job offers.

  • 10 examples of how artificial intelligence is improving education

    10 examples of how artificial intelligence is improving education

    Engineering is among fields in which many foresee artificial intelligence, or AI, technology becoming a major educational tool. AI’s applications in personalized and adaptive learning methods and analytics, as well as intelligent tutoring systems, seem designed to be especially effective in enhancing engineering education. Other facets of the practice of engineering that seem to align with AI capabilities include predictive modeling and immersive technologies such as augmented and virtual reality. Those technologies have been used, for instance, to create immersive learning experiences for a course taught by Robert LiKamWa, an associate professor in the School of Arts, Media and Engineering and the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering.

  • Rethinking Engineering Education in The U.S.

    Rethinking Engineering Education in The U.S.

    With the high-tech world experiencing an especially rapid evolution, industry and education leaders see a need to quickly ramp up efforts to prepare the next generation of STEM professionals for what will be demanded of those who want to be part of the future tech workforce. Some say this could require a developing a new blueprint for engineering education. Some university engineering programs are already restructuring curriculum in reaction to changing industry needs. One way ASU is responding is establishment of the Fulton Schools’ new Secure, Trusted, and Assured Microelectronics Center, directed by Michel Kinsy, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools. Image courtesy of Pixabay

  • New algorithm uses smart meter data to improve power grid reliability

    New algorithm uses smart meter data to improve power grid reliability

    A step toward more resilient electrical power grids has been made through the results of research by Mojdeh Khorsand Hedman (pictured at right), an assistant professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, and doctoral student Zahra Soltani, (at left) a graduate research associate in the school. They have developed an algorithm that can reduce the impact of power outages and malfunction damage to devices connected to power grids. Their solution could significantly improve electric power service for customers by reducing the duration of outages and making the voltage sent to customers more stable.

  • 18 ASU undergraduates selected for German research fellowship

    18 ASU undergraduates selected for German research fellowship

    Fulton Schools students make most up of a group of ASU undergraduates who this summer will be involved in a highly selective international research fellowship program that will send them to Germany. The students will do internships relevant to their academic and professional interests under the mentorship of doctoral students and experienced researchers in Germany. The Fulton Schools is providing additional funding for the German Academic Exchange Service to help enhance the experience for ASU students. A manager and advisor for the program says the internship helps students be more competitive in gaining admission to graduate programs and in finding jobs. Image courtesy of Pixabay

  • Green light or red light? Traffic impact studied for Tempe-Coyotes development

    Green light or red light? Traffic impact studied for Tempe-Coyotes development

    Public concern has emerged about potential disruptive impacts of a proposed arena complex for the Arizona Coyotes National Hockey League team on adjacent and nearby Tempe neighborhoods. Residents in the area fear traffic congestion, parking space shortages and interference with local business and community activities will result from the expansive arena development. Such worries are understandable, says Professor Ram Pendyala, a transportation engineer and director of School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. But Pendyala points out that there are standard practices public officials and arena developers can follow to effectively prevent or considerably diminish the kinds of impacts distressing the local populace.

  • What Exactly Are the Dangers Posed by A.I.?

    What Exactly Are the Dangers Posed by A.I.?

    A significant number of high-tech leaders, researchers and others who work with artificial intelligence, or AI, technologies are joining in on a warning about the workings of AI that could put humans at risk. Fulton Schools Professor Subbarao Kambhampati, a computer scientist and AI expert, points to one particular threat. While there is no way to guarantee AI systems will be correct or accurate on any information they compile and disseminate, AI can deliver such information in ways that make it seem credible. There is a big concern about such systems being used to spread disinformation, and to do it persuasively — especially the AI systems that can interact with people in natural-sounding language.

    See Also: When A.I. Chatbots Hallucinate, The New York Times, May 1
    Kambhampati advises against questioning AI unless you already know the answer to  the question.

    ‘The Godfather of A.I.’ Leaves Google and Warns of Danger Ahead, The New York Times, May 1
    The article links to statement Kambhampati helped to draft along with 19 current and former presidents of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence warning about risks AI poses.

April

2023
  • The Realities & Myths of Self-Driving Vehicles

    The Realities & Myths of Self-Driving Vehicles

    In an interview about the outlook for the future of autonomous vehicles, Professor Ram Pendyala (pictured at right), a transportation engineer and director of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, gives his assessment of progress in the development and use of self-driving automobiles. None of the most ambitious forecasts for a widespread embrace of these vehicles have come to fruition, Pendyala says, but he foresees their use  likely to increase over a span of decades. How expansive that increase becomes, he says, will depend on the price, capabilities, safety features and transportation infrastructure upgrades that enable consumers to see clear benefits in driving these vehicles.

  • Are ASU students using AI to help with school work? Most say no. Here’s why

    Are ASU students using AI to help with school work? Most say no. Here’s why

    Debates on the potential benefits and pitfalls of using artificial, or AI, technology in the classroom, and for doing homework assignments, are intensifying, especially with the emergence of ChatGPT, which is adept at writing on almost any subject — but with some downsides. AI specialist Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, looks at what some students and professors are saying about the pros and cons of the use of AI. There’s debate about the possibility of the use of AI like ChatGPT being considered an act of plagiarism and the risk that what it writes can be factually flawed.

    See Also: All technologies disrupt employment”: ASU professor on introducing AI to the workplace
    Professor Kambhampati discusses concerns that new artificial intelligent technologies like ChatGPT will take away some peoples’ jobs, KJZZ News (NPR), April 27

  • City Of Tempe Intern Has Learned About The Power Of Local Government

    City Of Tempe Intern Has Learned About The Power Of Local Government

    Fulton Schools biomedical engineering graduate student Wid Alsabah and electrical engineering student Namir Sabuwala are among Arab students getting an educational experience at ASU not only in their studies, but also in navigating the social nuances of cultural identity. Both are Arab Muslims — Alsabah is president of ASU’s Muslim Students Association — who make up a very small percentage of the population in Arizona. They, along with a fellow ASU student and Arab Muslim, who is an intern in the office of Tempe’s mayor, say their circumstances are encouraging them to learn about relationship building and creating connections to address potential social and cultural barriers.

  • Arizona Water Innovation Initiative Introduces Statewide Effort To Address Water Concerns

    Arizona Water Innovation Initiative Introduces Statewide Effort To Address Water Concerns

    Arizona government leaders are teaming with ASU and other partners to seek innovative and comprehensive solutions to the state’s water challenges. Enrique Vivoni, a hydro systems engineer and professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, will lead the Advanced Water Observatory as part of the wide-ranging effort. Vivoni says the observatory will use some of the most advanced data analytics, information, artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to help guide the state’s water management decisions in the future. Vivoni expects to see the many facets of the projects opening opportunities for students to get involved in the research.

  • More engineers needed as semiconductor plants go up across Arizona

    More engineers needed as semiconductor plants go up across Arizona

    With microchips powering many of today’s essential technologies, the semiconductor manufacturing plants where the chips are made are spreading across the landscape — especially in places such as Arizona, where urban areas and populations are growing. That means more engineers are needed to meet the exploding demand for workers in semiconductor facilities. Michael Kozicki, a Fulton Schools professor of electrical engineering, says the microchip boom will result in many graduates of ASU — which has the largest engineering school in the U.S. — finding work in the microelectronics industry. He foresees even more students becoming interested in related fields such as electrical and chemical engineering, computer science and manufacturing technologies.

  • ASU robotics research designs drone to cope with collisions

    ASU robotics research designs drone to cope with collisions

    Robotics expert Wenlong Zhang, an associate professor in the School of Manufacturing and Systems Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, is leading research to expand the navigational capabilities of drones. That advance can make drones better equipped to carry out search and rescue operations after disasters. Zhang and his team have created a drone with an inflatable frame that can make it more resistant to damage from collisions and with a gripper that enables drones to perch safely on various surfaces. Zhang hopes to also develop drones with more bio-inspired environmental interaction ability, enabling them to monitor forest fires, aid military reconnaissance and explore other planets. More news reports are published in New Scientist, the Eurasia Review, Tech Xplore, Interesting Engineering, Inceptive Mind, Popular Science, New Atlas, IOT World Today, ASU News and Electronics for You  

    See Also: Inflated ergo: Flexible robots more resilience, efficiency that their stiff competition, KJZZ News (NPR), April 28

  • ASU professor sets her sights on vehicle safety numbers game

    ASU professor sets her sights on vehicle safety numbers game

    Working from a large collection of comprehensive technical data and history detailing the story of the design, manufacturing, safety regulations and ratings systems that have shaped the modern automobile, Norma Faris Hubele’s book, “Backseat Driver,” examines the mix of the governmental, business and economic factors that have led to the progress — or the lack of it — in making cars safer over past decades. Hubele is a statistics expert, an emeritus professor of industrial engineering in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and former Fulton Schools director of strategic initiatives. Hubele, who also founded TheAutoProfessor.com website, says the topic of automobile safety is especially relevant today with the use of electric and autonomous vehicles rising and presenting new challenges for driving safety. The article is also published in Yahoo News.

  • Valley has some of nation’s worst air pollution, but it’s not all bad

    Valley has some of nation’s worst air pollution, but it’s not all bad

    A recent report by the American Lung Association gives the greater Phoenix metro area mixed results on the quality of its air. The report based on data from 2109 through 2021 shows some metrics on air pollution in the region improving slightly, but overall the urban area still has some of the highest particulate and ozone pollution in the U.S. The Phoenix-Mesa vicinity had the fifth worst ozone pollution of any metro area. Quoted in the article, Matthew Fraser, an urban air quality expert and professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, says the report provides no reason to be satisfied with current efforts to mitigate local air pollution.

  • What is ChatGPT?

    What is ChatGPT?

    Yes, the new ChatGT artificial intelligence, or AI, technology that is making headlines is definitely an impressive advance, says Subbarao Kambhampati, (on screen at right in photo) a Fulton Schools professor of computer science and leading AI expert. But while it has the ability to write everything from e-mails to books in thoroughly grammatical, fluent and even engaging ways, Kambhampati says it still has limitations that make it problematic. The major drawback is that despite being able to communicate proficiently on almost anything it is asked to write, ChatGT does not actually have real knowledge of what it is writing about. In other words, factual accuracy is not its strongpoint.

    See Also: Why Pope Francis Is the Star of A.I.-Generated Photos, New York Times, April 8
    Fulton Schools Professor Subbarao Kamhampati is quoted about the potential dangers of disseminating photos manipulated by AI

  • ASU honors students design solutions through Clinton Global Initiative University

    ASU honors students design solutions through Clinton Global Initiative University

    Two Fulton Schools students are members of the 2023 cohort of the Clinton Global Initiative University, or CGI, which teams college students with business, public service and social impact leaders to tackle projects that aim to provide benefits to communities and the world. Anirudh Manjesh, a computer science student, is involved in a project to help protect the environment by reducing the aerospace industry’s carbon footprint. Jayashree Adivarahan (at left in photo with Chelsea Clinton), an electrical engineering and computers systems engineering student, is continuing her work to help make important advances in semiconductor technology. She hopes to use what shee is learning through her CGI experiences to pursue development of an entrepreneurial venture.

  • Arizona State University Professor’s Work to Stabilize the Grid Pays Off

    Arizona State University Professor’s Work to Stabilize the Grid Pays Off

    After almost two decades of research, Vijay Vittal, a Fulton Schools professor of power systems engineering, has helped overcome a major challenge in his field by discovering ways to reliably integrate renewable resources into conventional electrical power grids. The news publication of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers reports on Vittal’s progress in maintaining power grid stability in ways that enable the use of renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic solar systems. Along with related advances by colleagues in power electronics, Vittal is contributing to efforts to incorporate renewable energy sources into existing power infrastructure without disrupting grid operations.

  • ASU team helps protect World Heritage Site in Ethiopia

    ASU team helps protect World Heritage Site in Ethiopia

    A group of Fulton Schools students who are members of the ASU chapter of Engineers Without Borders are part of a team working to preserve and protect the environment and wildlife in the Simien Mountains National Park in Ethiopia, a UNESCO World Heritage site where ecosystems are threatened. Mechanical engineering student Tyler Norkus, president of the ASU chapter of Engineers Without Borders, is the co-lead for the project that teams anthropologists, engineers and wildlife conservationists and students from around the world to clean up plastic trash at the site and use it to provide income for communities in Ethiopia. The engineering students are building machines that will shred plastic bottles and melt the containers to make souvenirs that can be sold to tourists. 

  • ‘I’ve got your daughter’: Scottsdale mom warns of close call with AI voice cloning scam

    ‘I’ve got your daughter’: Scottsdale mom warns of close call with AI voice cloning scam

    Artificial intelligence, or AI, technology has advanced to the point that it cannot only imitate the human voice but the voices of specific people, including the inflections and nuances of their speech patterns and other characteristics. The technology is being used to scam people, including a recent incident involving an Arizona woman who was convinced her teenage daughter had been kidnapped. Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor of computer science in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, says AI-enabled voice cloning can now replicate the sounds of a particular people speaking by using no more than several seconds of individuals’ actual voices.

    The news report was also broadcast or posted by these news programs and outlets throughout the U.S.: WMTV (NBC15.com) Madison, Wisconsin, Fox 5 news KVVU, Las Vegas, WEVV 44 News, Indiana, smithmountainlake news, Virginia, the Daily Mail, England, and WRDW 12 CBS news in Augusta, Georgia, and KGUN 9 news, Tucson

    See also: A mom thought her daughter had been kidnapped — it was just AI mimicking her voice, Popular Science, April 14

    Criminals using AI to clone voice in a bid for ransom, Fox News, April 18

    Kamphampati was also recently interviewed about artificial intelligence technology and its potential impacts on society. (The interview is conducted in the Telugu language.)

  • Year-long study hopes to promote sustainable transportation

    Year-long study hopes to promote sustainable transportation

    Use of one of the older technological modes of mobility, the bicycle, could contribute to efforts to bring more sustainable transportation systems to busy urban areas, says Thomas Czerniawski (at far right in photo), an assistant professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. Czerniawski, fellow ASU faculty members and student researchers are working on a project supported by the Zimin Institute for Smart and Sustainable Cities at ASU. The team is exploring what could be done to transform the city of Tempe — including the busy area on and around ASU’s Tempe campus — into a “bicycling oasis,” with the idea of also providing other urban communities a template for improving their transportation scenarios by enhancing bicyling infrastructure.

  • ASU Poly answers manufacturing call

    ASU Poly answers manufacturing call

    With efforts by the U.S. government to boost production of microchips and energy technology across the country and large tech companies embarking on ambitious expansion projects, the demand for more engineers and technicians is multiplying rapidly. That bodes well for students at two of the Fulton Schools based at ASU’s Polytechnic campus. Kurt Paterson, director of The Polytechnic School, says students are now getting job offers more than a year before they will graduate. Binil Starley, director of the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, foresees the school providing new employees for manufacturing companies that want to expand their operations in Arizona and for companies headquartered elsewhere that are looking relocate to Arizona. The photo shows students at the Polytechnic campus at a recent panel discussion with leaders of Lucid Motors about the company’s electric vehicle manufacturing operations in nearby Casa Grande.

  • How Indigenous Architecture is Shaping the Future of Arts Commons

    How Indigenous Architecture is Shaping the Future of Arts Commons

    Architects are making strides in designing buildings and related projects that reflect social and cultural awareness of the histories, perspectives and interests of communities in which their work will be located. Among those at the forefront in the field of of indigenous architecture is Wanda Dalla Costa, an associate professor in the Del E. Webb School of Construction within the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. One recent example is Dalla Costa’s collaboration with the Tawaw Architecture Collective Inc. on the Arts Commons Transformation project in the city of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. The project is a highlight of the area’s expanding modern urban features that reflect regional cultural and historical themes.

March

2023
  • How Proposers Day pairs ASU Researchers, companies to identify industry challenges

    How Proposers Day pairs ASU Researchers, companies to identify industry challenges

    Reaching the goal of Arizona’s New Economy Initiative to make the state one of the leading technology hubs in the U.S. will hinge on the research progress made at facilities such as ASU’s five Science and Technology Centers. Fulton Schools Associate Professor Zachary Holman (pictured), director of the centers’ Advanced Materials, Processes, and Energy Devices research program, talks about Proposers Day events that are bringing ASU engineers and scientists together with industry leaders to explore ways to fulfill the ambitious aspirations set forth in the initiative. Holman says a competition to win funding for promising research to overcome major technological challenges is one way the centers’ leaders hope to inspire innovative outcomes.

  • Turning cow waste into biogas is a hot investment. Is it also a climate solution?

    Turning cow waste into biogas is a hot investment. Is it also a climate solution?

    Anaerobic digesters are among the new technologies that hold promise as an emerging source of energy. Dairy farms now use digesters to decompose cow manure to produce methane that is cleaned and put into pipelines to provide electricity, fuel vehicles and heat homes. Researchers at ASU’s Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, led by Fulton Schools Professor Bruce Rittmann, are working to improve digester systems and use them in multiple industries. The goal is to enable them to extract more energy out of waste materials while also extracting nutrients and potable water. If more energy can be generated from waste, the systems could attract more investment and might even become part of effective climate-smart efforts.  

    Access to the editorial content of the Arizona Republic is accessible only to subscribers.

  • ASU West gains 3 new schools focused on workforce needs, could triple in students

    ASU West gains 3 new schools focused on workforce needs, could triple in students

    Population growth and increasing workforce opportunities in municipalities and communities in the western reaches of the Phoenix metro area have led to extensive plans to expand educational pursuits at the ASU West campus. The creation of three new schools based on the campus has been announced. Those include the School of Integrated Engineering, which will be part of the Fulton Schools, focusing on providing students opportunities in engineering and technology fields. With the two other new schools, ASU will offer studies in flexible STEM degree programs to provide education preparing students for work in a range of growing industries spawning new and innovative career paths.

    See also: Arizona State University West plans extensive expansion in effort to triple enrollment, Phoenix Business Journal, March 29
    ASU’s West campus expanding to serve the evolving West Valley, ASU News, March 29
    ASU To Establish Three New Schools On The West Campus, The State Press, March 29
    ASU’s West Campus Will Expand to Better Serve Growing West Valley, In Business (Greater Phoenix), March 29
    With big expansion, ASU West hopes to become center of new economy in Phoenix, Glendale, Arizona Republic, March 30

    Access to the editorial content of the Arizona Republic and the Phoenix Business Journals is accessible only to subscribers.

  • How Mesa and ASU are collaborating on new longer-lasting pavement for town

    How Mesa and ASU are collaborating on new longer-lasting pavement for town

    Extending the life spans of roads, developing environmentally sustainable solutions to pavement challenges and saving money. Those are the main goals of the city of Mesa in partnering with Fulton Schools Professor Hazan Ozer and ASU’s Southwest Pavement Technology Consortium, which Ozer directs. The project teams academic researchers, the construction industry and city leaders in applying new advances in road building and paving. The focus is on boosting the resilience of asphalt and other commonly used pavement materials and finding ways to curb the detrimental impacts of expanding heat islands. In addition to working with cities and construction companies, ASU engineering students will get opportunities to apply their research outside of the classroom.

  • New project strives to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in STEM higher education

    New project strives to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in STEM higher education

    Fulton Schools engineering faculty members are collaborating with colleagues at the University of New Mexico on a new project funded by the National Science Foundation project titled “Increasing the Effectiveness of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion-Focused Institutional Change Teams through a Community of Transformation.” Fulton Schools Associate Professor Nadia Kellam, whose expertise includes engineering education research and institutional change, is among those who will lead the project. She and her colleagues will create a multiyear, cross-institutional community of transformation to support faculty and administrators’ commitment and capacity to improve access, experiences and outcomes for students and other stakeholders in science and engineering programs.

  • Removing ‘forever’ chemicals from drinking water

    Removing ‘forever’ chemicals from drinking water

    Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl, known as “forever chemicals,” are harmful to human health and likely in the drinking water of hundreds of millions of people in the U.S. They also take hundreds of years, and maybe longer, to break down in the environment and they linger in the human body. But research at ASU led by Fulton Schools Professor Bruce Rittman (pictured), director of ASU’s Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, has found a certain kind of microorganism can play a role in removing “forever chemicals” and other contaminants from water. The discovery holds out hope for developing methods for removing these chemicals without current methods that have drawbacks like causing water pollution.

  • That panicky call from a relative? It could be a thief using a voice clone, FTC warns

    That panicky call from a relative? It could be a thief using a voice clone, FTC warns

    A recent consumer alert from the Federal Trade Commission warns that advances in voice cloning could lead to more scams. Artificial intelligence, or AI, technology is making it possible to closely imitate peoples’ voice and is being used in schemes to swindle money, the commission reports. Incidents in which individuals and companies, including a bank, have been fooled into paying large sums of money are among such recent cases. Not long ago, scammers would have needed sophisticated operations to pull off a scam involving imitation of voices, says Fulton Schools Professor Subbarao Kambhampati, an AI expert. Now, he says, even those with little knowledge or training in AI can easily produce fake voices.

  • Blockchain Beyond Business: A Look At ASU’s Relationship With Cybersecurity Technology

    Blockchain Beyond Business: A Look At ASU’s Relationship With Cybersecurity Technology

    Despite recent concerns about blockchain technology and its connections to cryptocurrency instability and cybersecurity risks, researchers say there is still plenty of potential for blockchain systems to provide safe and productive services. Fulton Schools Research Professor Dragan Boscovic, a co-founder of the Blockchain Research Lab, says work being done in the lab is aimed at helping to make the technology an ideal tool for both privacy and security. The blockchain is also seen as a potentially effective technology for medical systems and vital services such as health care data storage. The article also appears in BusinessNews and National Cyber Security news.

  • Will Neurosymbolic AI Change Autonomous Vehicles? It was done in GTA.

    Will Neurosymbolic AI Change Autonomous Vehicles? It was done in GTA.

    An emerging field called neurosymbolic artificial intelligence, or AI, could help spark an evolutionary step for self-driving automobiles. While more basic groundwork is needed to ensure the reliability of these AI-based systems, they appear to hold promise for aiding driver training and helping drivers adhere to the rules of the road, writes Paulo Shakarian, a Fulton Schools associate professor specializing in AI. He sees potential for such systems to enable better diagnostics of autonomous driving systems and encourage more confidence in the safe performance of these vehicles. The article includes a video showing the creation of a self-driving car using neurosymbolic AI.

  • Restoring desert crusts may control dust pollution better than spraying water

    Restoring desert crusts may control dust pollution better than spraying water

    The second most frequent cause of roadway accidents in Arizona is dust storms, while each year thousands of people get sick from wind-transmitted fungal infections. An ASU research team is working on advances in dust control methods to help reduce these threats to life and health, including testing ways to grow back the “skin” of desert soils, which can prevent winds from scooping up dust. Fulton Schools Professor Edward Kavazanjian, director of the Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics, is working on the project with Professor Matthew Fraser, a colleague in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools.

  • Mile By Mile: The Self-Driving Cars Of Tomorrow Are Already Here

    Mile By Mile: The Self-Driving Cars Of Tomorrow Are Already Here

    In an article about how the future of the rideshare industry and use of autonomous vehicles is playing out on the streets of the Phoenix metro area, Aviral Shrivasatava provides some perspective on the evolution, increasing prevalence and popularity of self-driving automobiles. The professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, a part of the Fulton Schools, says it is still difficult to predict if, when and in what specific ways autonomous transportation technology will truly become a common mode of travel in our everyday lives. But he still sees these kinds of vehicles becoming a game changer that will have significant societal impacts.

  • OpenAI’s GPT-4 Is Closed Source and Shrouded in Secrecy

    OpenAI’s GPT-4 Is Closed Source and Shrouded in Secrecy

    Artificial Intelligence experts are warning about the potential consequences of what they describe as the most secretive release so far from Open AI’s GPT-4 large language model. Researchers say that along with hype about the capabilities of the new model, it is also demonstrating that what it is producing is not transparent or “open” in any important way. Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, says what OpenAI is calling a technical report produced by GPT-4 is misleading. Other experts say the race by big tech companies to quickly create new AI technologies is raising ethical concerns.

  • Biodesign Institute announces new center devoted to advancing revolutionary biomaterials

    Biodesign Institute announces new center devoted to advancing revolutionary biomaterials

    Biomaterials are expected to become the foundation for transformative advances in health care. Kaushal Rege, a professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport, and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, is poised to contribute to that progress through his recent appointment with ASU’s Biodesign Institute. Rege will now direct the new Center for Biomaterials Innovation and Translation. The center will establish collaborations between researchers in materials science, engineering, biology, drug delivery, regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and regulatory affairs to develop new materials that are safe, effective and compatible with the human body and meet the needs of a variety of medical applications.

  • ASU Alumni-Founded Nonprofit Seeks To Improve Clean Water Access in Peru

    ASU Alumni-Founded Nonprofit Seeks To Improve Clean Water Access in Peru

    What began as a venture conceived in 2010 by three students participating in the Fulton Schools Engineering Projects in Community Service, or EPICS, is today helping more than a dozen communities in Peru reduce clean water scarcity and improve sanitation. About half of Peru’s 32 million people lack access to safe and reliable water sources. The EPICS nonprofit project 33 Buckets started by then-Fulton Schools students Mark Huerta, Swaroon Sridhar and Paul Strong now partners with 15 communities and brings teams of students together to develop engineering-based solutions for nonprofits, schools and charities. The 33  Buckets team plans to expand its work and is exploring potential opportunities in Mexico and the U.S.

  • Biden’s defense budget anticipates threat from China, Russia

    Biden’s defense budget anticipates threat from China, Russia

    The largest U.S. defense budget in decades has been proposed by U.S. President Joe Biden. Rising tensions with Russia and China are seen as the reason to seek a large defense spending increase. Fulton Schools faculty member Brad Allenby (pictured), an ASU President’s Professor of civil, environmental and sustainable engineering and founding chair of the Consortium for Emerging Technologies, Military Operations and National Security, says it’s clear why the president is urging more investment in military preparedness. Allenby points to China’s plan to equip its navy with significantly more ships than the U.S. Navy has in its fleet as an indication of the risky political situation the U.S. may face in the future.

  • Arizona legislators get up-close look at ASU semiconductor facility

    Arizona legislators get up-close look at ASU semiconductor facility

    The ASU MacroTechnology Works is enabling the university to bridge the gap between technology innovations created in research labs and practical real-life solutions. That makes the facility a good training ground for future workers in the growing semiconductor manufacturing industry. Many ASU students developing their research and engineering talents at Macrotechnology Works are primed to become promising candidates for jobs at two massive Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company fabricating centers in north Phoenix or benefit from the New Economy Initiative, which is bringing together Arizona’s three public universities, private companies and state government to pave the way to new frontiers in the high-tech industry.

  • Celebrating the women of ASU Online who inspire, advance STEM education

    Celebrating the women of ASU Online who inspire, advance STEM education

    Among those honored during Women’s History Month for their contributions to society are women making significant achievements in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. That group includes standouts who make up more than half of the ASU faculty members teaching through ASU Online. Fulton Schools Associate Professor Kristen Parrish is one those who are not only outstanding STEM educators but are also inspiring students to pursue innovative paths in their careers. Beyond teaching energy-efficient building design and construction, Parrish focuses on teaching her students — especially women — about perseverance, connecting to others they identify with in their professions and cultivating a sense of belonging among women in STEM fields.

  • Medtech Engineering Secrets Found in an Ancient Art Form

    Medtech Engineering Secrets Found in an Ancient Art Form

    New technologies inspired by the ancient art form called origami have lead in recent years to advances in various industries, including medical technology. The results include new kinds of batteries based on origami techniques like those developed by ASU researchers, including Hanqing Jiang, a former Fulton Schools professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. Based on a form of origami called kirigami, Jiang and two doctoral students developed a method of cutting and twisting to produce interlocking structures of lithium ion batteries that can be stretched. The prototype battery, sewn into an elastic wristband attached to a smart watch, powered the watch and its functions – including playing videos.

  • Fellowships help extraordinary Sun Devils launch stellar careers

    Fellowships help extraordinary Sun Devils launch stellar careers

    She remembers herself at 12 years old looking up into the night sky and wondering what it would be like to explore the stars. Now grown-up Fulton Schools mechanical engineering student Sierra Malmberg has been among winners of a fellowship that enabled her to work as a Starship booster build engineer intern at SpaceX. The engineering-focused Brooke Owens Fellowship is providing such opportunities to exceptional female and gender minority undergrads who aspire to work in aerospace. Fellows get opportunities for paid internships at top aerospace companies and mentorship from company leaders.

  • ASU students win $10K prize in 30-hour hackathon

    ASU students win $10K prize in 30-hour hackathon

    Development of a design to divert a domestic terrorist attack was the project that earned a team of ASU students the $10,000 prize in the latest Devils Invent event, one in a series of STEM design challenges organized and coordinated by the Fulton Schools. The hackathon, which took place over 30 hours, brought together 23 teams from 11 colleges in the U.S. for the competition with the theme “Protecting America’s Public Access Areas.” With guidance from academic and industry mentors, the student teams exhibited their design and hands-on technical skills to work on solutions to homeland security challenges, says Melissa Stine, a Fulton Schools student success and engagement coordinator.

February

2023
  • Aspiring engineer, student trainee earns Corps internship, inspires minds along way

    Aspiring engineer, student trainee earns Corps internship, inspires minds along way

    Fulton Schools student Taylor Brown (front row, sitting second from left), set to graduate in May with a degree in concrete engineering, is also a student trainee in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District. Pictured here with her ASU Concrete Solutions teammates, Brown holds a trophy she won at a recent Associated Schools of Construction student competition. After graduation, Brown plans to remain with the Corps as a Department of the Army intern. She was offered an internship with the Corps last year at a conference of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, which supports and represents Native Americans in STEM fields. Brown hopes to work on projects with Native American communities during her internship.

  • The Power of the Big Picture: Planet Showcase Highlights ASU Projects Using Satellite Imagery

    The Power of the Big Picture: Planet Showcase Highlights ASU Projects Using Satellite Imagery

    A partnership with Planet, a commercial satellite company, is providing access to satellite imagery and terabytes of data to enable ASU faculty and students to pursue ventures that seek to solve environmental and engineering challenges. The recent Planet Showcase highlighted some of these projects. Fulton Schools civil, environmental and sustainable engineering graduate student Zhaocheng Wang is mapping flash flood hazard areas to help protect a rural desert region in Arizona that regularly experiences threatening floods. Hannah Kerner, a Fulton Schools assistant professor in the School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence, is using her skills in machine learning to help a NASA Harvest agricultural and food security initiative.

  • Keeping up with the demand for engineers as the U.S. semiconductor chip industry expands

    Keeping up with the demand for engineers as the U.S. semiconductor chip industry expands

    Increasing reliance on companies in other countries for semiconductor chips used in advanced electronics led the U.S. Congress to pass the CHIPS and Science Act to bring more chip manufacturing into the country. That endeavor is gaining steam with the help of ASU, particularly through the Fulton Schools. New programs in the university’s MacroTechnology Works research facility and a semiconductor processing graduate program are among efforts to provide the country’s manufacturing sector the highly trained workforce it requires, says Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools. Michael Kozicki, a Fulton Schools professor of electrical engineering, points to the move of the world’s leading chip manufacturer to Phoenix and ASU’s plans to produce the skilled engineers the company needs.

  • India Ambassador visits with students, faculty to learn about ASU innovations

    India Ambassador visits with students, faculty to learn about ASU innovations

    The recently adopted U.S.-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology aimed at expanding partnerships between the two countries’ governments, businesses and academic institutions helped lead to a recent visit to ASU by India’s ambassador to the U.S., Taranjit Singh Sandhu. Academic leaders from the Fulton Schools were among those at ASU who spent time in discussions with Sandhu. STEM innovations and development of engineering talent align with the goals on the initiative. Sandhu said he was able to get a strong sense of the university’s commitment to be at the forefront of the education, research, development and implementation of innovative programs and technologies needed to brighten the outlook for the future of both countries.

  • ASU ranks in top 10 for inventions, patents, licenses and startups among universities without medical schools

    ASU ranks in top 10 for inventions, patents, licenses and startups among universities without medical schools

    Innovations achieved by researchers in the Fulton Schools have helped to significantly boost ASU’s ranking among universities that are producing new inventions, business startups, entrepreneurial ventures and other endeavors that are impacting industries and serving society. Important progress in transportation, solar power and other energy sources, health care, environmental protection, and development of high-performance technologies have resulted from work in the labs of Fulton Schools faculty members Zachary Holman, Bruce Rittmann, Cesar Torres, Zengshan Yu, Kate Fisher, Visar Berisha and their collaborators and colleagues, a number of them in ASU’s Biodesign Institute.  

  • How Arizona Is Positioning Itself for $52 Billion to the Chips Industry

    How Arizona Is Positioning Itself for $52 Billion to the Chips Industry

    When former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and other state leaders met several years ago with executives of Taiwan-based TSMC, the biggest maker of advanced semiconductor chips, ASU and its large number of Fulton Schools engineering students were among the major advantages the Arizona contingent emphasized to the company’s leadership. Today TSMC is building a sprawling multibillion-dollar facility in Phoenix, and Arizona has become a leader in the U.S. in microchip investment.  Along with tax breaks and support to build new infrastructure, Arizona leaders also promised to expand technical and engineering education in the state to provide a more robust pool of potential new employees for companies like TSMC. Those incentives have helped to make Arizona a hub for large chip makers, including Intel, and lead to further investments in the industry.

  • Opinion: Induced Travel Demand Induces Media Attention

    Opinion: Induced Travel Demand Induces Media Attention

    What are the best solutions to our transportation and travel challenges? Well, it’s complicated, says Steven Polzin, a research professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Build Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. It requires taking into account multiple factors that shape transportation scenarios, from sociological and environmental perspectives to complex forecasting formulas and planning logistics, says Polzin, deputy director of Teaching Old Models New Tricks, or TOMNET,  which explores and models our mobility choices under various conditions. Here, Polzin examines the popular new concept of induced demand and the outlook for it providing a path forward to more effective transportation planning and management.

  • Do the math: ChatGPT sometimes can’t, expert says

    Do the math: ChatGPT sometimes can’t, expert says

    Paulo Shakarian directs Lab V-2, where challenges in the field of artificial intelligence are examined. In one recent project, Shakarian tested the new generative AI technology ChatGPT on 1,000 mathematical word problems. It did not consistently produce impressive results. In an interview, the associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, discusses what the results of the testing indicate about the abilities, usefulness, limitations and drawbacks of ChatGPT. Among Shakarian’s conclusions is that ChatGPT could be valuable in many practical applications in which precise accuracy is not a tantamount concern. But there are concerns about when ChatGPT might be involved in guiding decisions that would have ethical implications.

  • Pay To Park: ASU Has A Parking Problem. And It’s Costing Students Hundreds

    Pay To Park: ASU Has A Parking Problem. And It’s Costing Students Hundreds

    High housing prices in areas close to ASU’s Tempe campus keep many students from living near the school. But that often means those students commute to the campus, where they’ve been hit with rising costs for parking. Various factors create this situation, explains civil engineer Steven Polzin, a research professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. The former the U.S. Department of Transportation senior advisor says one reason is the Phoenix area’s urban sprawl, which often results in low use of public transit and more automobile travel that leads to higher public parking costs.  

  • Chips and changemakers

    Chips and changemakers

    Changemakers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics who have not been widely recognized are now getting some attention, thanks to commemorations of those pioneers related to events like Black History Month. ASU scholars Brooke Coley and Michel Kinsy expressed gratitude for the achievements of one of those inspiring changemakers, the recently retired U.S Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson. Coley, an assistant professor in The Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools, talked about the impact of Johnson’s work on opening pathways to STEM education for many people of color. Kinsy, an associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, also part of the Fulton Schools, says Johnson also supported efforts that opened doors to research careers for many who have historically been underrepresented in those professions.

  • Nitric Acid Leak After Deadly Truck Crash

    Nitric Acid Leak After Deadly Truck Crash

    The driver of a cargo truck died as the result of the crash on the Interstate-10 freeway in Tucson of the vehicle carrying toxic nitric acid. Public safety officials closed the section of the freeway as workers cleaned up the spill cite. For an assessment of the response of officials to the incident, a reporter talked to Kiril Hristovski, an associate professor in the Fulton Schools environmental resource management program and a senior sustainability scientist. Hazardous materials management is one his areas of expertise. Hristovski said the response to the nitric acid spill on the roadway was appropriate because the nitric acid was neutralized by being quickly covered in soil and transported from the scene.

  • Has widening roads helped Valley travel times?

    Has widening roads helped Valley travel times?

    Population growth in the past two decades in Maricopa County has sparked a roadway construction boom in Phoenix and neighboring municipalities. But despite extensions of roads and highways and additions of more lanes, jampacked roads continue to be the norm. It’s not surprising, says Steve Polzin, a Fulton Schools professor of civil engineering and a former senior adviser to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The problem isn’t only a result of people driving more but of more people driving, he says. That echoes comments of the Maricopa Association of Governments transportation data program manager, who says every growing metro area in the U.S. is experiencing increasing traffic, even as they continue to add lanes to highways and major streets.

  • ASU’s Biodesign Institute blazes new research trails

    ASU’s Biodesign Institute blazes new research trails

    Advances in protecting and restoring human health have been aided over recent years by research based in ASU’s Biodesign Institute. Now it is attracting even more funding to pursue solutions related to digestive proteins in the human gut, toxic exposure to fungi during childhood and long-term vaccine effectiveness. Some of the new work involves research lead by Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. She directs the newly established Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes and now has a new grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to further explore the effects of toxins on childhood growth.

  • Beauty, lies & ChatGPT: Welcome to the post-truth world

    Beauty, lies & ChatGPT: Welcome to the post-truth world

    ChatGPT, the new artificial intelligence technology that’s been making headlines, is “perhaps not an entirely bad thing,” Subbarao Kamphampati, a Fulton Schools professor of computer science, concludes in this commentary. But in most of his examination of the development and abilities of this new addition to what is called generative AI, he points out serious challenges that he sees the use of ChatGPT presenting. Kambhampati says while its writing skills are technically good, ChatGPT is “afactual,” with no concepts of truth or falsity. One danger in this shortcoming is that it could add to the rising tide of misinformation generated in today’s cyberworld communications environment, as well as lead to a loss of originality in writing.

  • ASU people, programs and events address low representation of Black professionals in STEM

    ASU people, programs and events address low representation of Black professionals in STEM

    Several ASU programs and organizations seek to help Black students in their academic and professional development in STEM fields. One recent effort was the Black Women in Engineering Faculty Panel hosted by the Multicultural Communities of Excellence. Panelists included Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Brooke Coley, a racial equity scholar. She talked about cultural barriers that continue to make it difficult to achievement equality in STEM and other professions. Other speakers discussed similar social and educational inequities. Fulton Schools materials science and engineering student Tochukwu Anyigbo, a co-vice president of the National Society of Black Engineers, said the organization is working with major companies to provide students professional growth opportunities and cohosting the upcoming Black Professional Conference at ASU.

    See Also: Black Women in Engineering panel provides perspective for students pursuing careers in STEM, ASU News, February 15

  • Goodyear hires new directors for economic development, water services

    Goodyear hires new directors for economic development, water services

    Barbara Chappell has degrees from ASU in civil and environmental engineering and in public administration. She also holds certificates in water treatment, water distribution, wastewater collections and wastewater treatment from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Chappell recently became the first water services director hired by the growing city of Goodyear, west of Phoenix. She had held water management-related jobs for 14 years in the nearby city of Avondale.

  • Solar panel recycling pilot goes into overtime

    Solar panel recycling pilot goes into overtime

    The Alberta Recycling Management Authority in one of Canada’s largest provinces is on a mission to find new uses for old solar energy panel materials. The amount of solar panel waste in Canada is growing, and regional governments are looking for productive ways to recycle the materials. Meng Tao, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, says such a solution is needed in the U.S., where most old solar panels end up in landfills. Most panels are difficult to recycle because the materials can’t be separated without complex chemical processes, Tao says. He favors governments requiring manufacturers to make panels that are recyclable, as some European countries have done.

  • ASU designing microelectronics platforms for the future

    ASU designing microelectronics platforms for the future

    Professor Daniel Bliss and his team at ASU’s Center for Wireless Information Systems and Computational Architecture are developing a new platform for high-performance processors that are more power efficient and easier to use. Other work involves producing new and improved variations of the microprocessors that are the foundations most modern electronics. Through these and related projects led by Bliss, a faculty member in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, ASU researchers are making progress that will impact a wide range of engineering and science pursuits in space exploration, communication and navigation systems, autonomous vehicles, health sensors. augmented reality and more.

  • Here’s how Arizona is building a semiconductor workforce

    Here’s how Arizona is building a semiconductor workforce

    As boosting semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S. has become a national priority, efforts are also springing up to develop the semiconductor workforce of the future. That includes investments in educating students in the skills needed in today’s high-tech industries. The major chip manufacturing company Intel is providing support through its Broadening Participation in Science and Engineering Higher Education grant program to Professors Trevor Thornton and Hongbin Yu, faculty members in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools. Yu is focusing on expanding offerings in semiconductor packaging courses at ASU and community colleges. Thornton’s work involves giving hands-on experience in building semiconductor technology to ASU and  Maricopa Community Colleges students.

  • Regents Professor is an AI explorer of 4 decades

    Regents Professor is an AI explorer of 4 decades

    As a researcher, Fulton Schools Professor Han Liu (pictured at left in photo with one if his graduate students) helped to pioneer the now exploding field of artificial intelligence, or AI, technology. As a teacher and academic advisor, Liu, a faculty member in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, one of the Fulton Schools, has guided more than 30 students in earning their doctoral degrees. Those are among achievements that have recently earned him the designation as an ASU Regents Professor, the highest honor bestowed on the university’s faculty members. His work developing computational methods to advance data mining, machine learning and social computing has led to global recognition for his contributions. He has also gained a reputation as a valuable mentor. Doctoral students he has guided say Liu helped make them not only experts but also leaders in their fields.

  • Trust, but verify: The quest to measure our trust in AI

    Trust, but verify: The quest to measure our trust in AI

    ASU’s Center for Accelerating Operational Efficiency is testing a tool that could help government and industry identify and develop trustworthy AI technology. Trustworthiness is an increasing concern as the use of AI expands into many fields, including health care, business, finance, transportation and other important aspects of society. Erin Chiou, an assistant professor of human systems engineering in The Polytechnic School, part of the Fulton Schools, is among ASU researchers exploring how to develop trustworthy AI technology and ensuring its use protects the peoples’ rights as well as serves their best interests. The article is also published in Business Telegraph.

  • Rescuing small plastics from the waste stream

    Rescuing small plastics from the waste stream

    More plastics manufacturers are taking steps to help protect the environment by reducing plastics waste. More are pledging to make plastic packaging reusable, recyclable, or compostable. But there are technical challenges to meeting those goals, particularly for efforts to recycle small plastic products. A major hurdle is that today’s recycling infrastructure is not designed to effectively process smaller plastic items. Among those seeking solutions is Alexis Hocken, who graduated from ASU in 2021 after earning a chemical engineering degree through her studies in the Fulton Schools. Now in the chemical engineering doctoral program at MIT, Hocken is collaborating with manufacturers to achieve what could be a significant environmental sustainability achievement.

  • Navrotsky named Regents Professor for groundbreaking work in materials science

    Navrotsky named Regents Professor for groundbreaking work in materials science

    Fifty years after beginning her academic career at ASU but leaving after 16 years, Alexandra Navrotsky returned in 2019 as one of the world’s leading experts in materials science and engineering. Now she’s been named an ASU Regents Professor, the highest honor bestowed on the university’s faculty members. Now a professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy,  part of the Fulton Schools, and the School of Molecular Sciences, she is also affiliated with the School of Earth and Space Exploration and director of the Navrotsky Eyring Center for Materials of the Universe. Her achievements have made her a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a Distinguished Life Member of the American Ceramic Society and winner of a major European Materials Research Society award.

January

2023
  • Zoom Innovation Lab Utilizes Student Partnership To Enhance Virtual Communication

    Zoom Innovation Lab Utilizes Student Partnership To Enhance Virtual Communication

    A partnership between Zoom and ASU that kicked off last fall with the opening of the Zoom Innovation Lab on ASU’s Tempe campus is making progress. The collaboration has launched the Zoom Creative Studio and students working at ASU’s Learning Futures Collaboratory have had a key role in developing the code for a new plug-in integrating Zoom’s existing 2D interface with a 3D virtual reality universe. In addition, the Zoom Innovation Lab and the Fulton Schools Luminosity Lab are working on a project to provide a telehealth application using Zoom’s video interface to enable remote and immediate medical consultations. Through the Zoom Creative Studio, students will be able to use the telehealth app to coordinate visits and personal consultations and even run experiments using the lab’s technological property. 

  • ASU startup receives funding to advance fire-safe battery research

    ASU startup receives funding to advance fire-safe battery research

    Safe-Li, a startup venture arising from the work of Fulton Schools Professor Jerry Lin, has been accepted into the Shell Global companies’ Shell GameChanger Program that helps startup businesses ventures with early-stage ideas to potentially impact the future of energy. The program will support Safe-Li through a grant to further Lin’s research on fire-safe lithium-ion and lithium-metal battery technology.  Lin, a chemical engineer, the inventor of the technologies and Safe-Li’s chief scientist, developed the patent-pending technology that is expected to not only make lithium batteries safer but also revolutionize the battery industry. Lin says the technology can be used to make lithium-metal batteries with higher energy density, which can then lead to the development of long-range batteries for electrical vehicles.

    See Also: ASU startup scores funding from Shell for fire-safe lithium-ion battery research, AZ INNO (The Business Journals), February 3
    (The full news content of AZ INNO is available only to subscribers)

  • Powering up computing capacity

    Powering up computing capacity

    To bolster the durability of electronic systems and devices used in high-radiation environments — in outer space, for instance — a process called radiation hardening can keep computer components functioning despite levels of radiation exposure that would cause most electronics to fail. Fulton Schools and Sandia National Laboratories researchers are collaborating to improve on that process, which includes finding ways to make radiation hardened computer chips more efficient. The work is led by Matthew Marinella, an associate professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, a part of the Fulton Schools, and a former researcher at Sandia Labs. Achieving the project goal would make spacecraft computing more efficient, freeing up power for space missions to perform more tasks.

  • Can 3D Printing Take Place at the Nanoscale?

    Can 3D Printing Take Place at the Nanoscale?

    Improving the resolution of 3D printing will make it a more scalable and efficient tool for manufacturing. Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Kenan Song is leading work to make that advance in the 3D printing process. Song’s multidisciplinary research team is working to improve nanoscale 3D printing by exploring how materials work at the level of atoms and molecules. Applications of 3D printing range from prototyping to rapid on-site tooling and mass production, with many uses involving engineering applications. Development of new materials and methods for nanoscale 3D printing are expected to offer highly tunable features, which will expand the benefits of this high-tech printing technique.  

  • SEMICON will begin annual rotation with Phoenix

    SEMICON will begin annual rotation with Phoenix

    After being held for more than half a century in San Francisco, North America’s premier microelectronics exhibition and conference, SEMICON West, will be coming to Arizona in 2027 and 2029. Along with Phoenix emerging in recent years as a major semiconductor industry hub through growing investments in chip manufacturing made in the area, other factors had an influence on the decision to bring SEMICON West to Phoenix. Among the main reasons is the Fulton Schools, the largest engineering education program in the U.S. About 7,000 of the Fulton Schools’ 30,000 students are concentrating on studies to prepare them to work in microelectronics and related fields.

  • The potential and the future of the internet

    The potential and the future of the internet

    Advances in quantum information science and technology, or QIST, are now seen as being a major driving force in the evolution of computing and the internet. ASU is poised to contribute to the endeavor through its involvement in the new nationwide Quantum Collaborative. ASU has already opened a Quantum Networking Lab on its Tempe campus. The university’s students can learn about what is emerging on the horizon with this new wave of computer and internet capabilities. A variety of the Fulton Schools’ engineering, technology and computer science degree programs can provide the education and skills needed to pursue careers in QIST fields.

    See also: Arizona State University Looks Toward The Internet’s Quantum Future, The Quantum Insider, January 27

  • This Arizona man wants to change aerospace manufacturing with large-scale 3D printing

    This Arizona man wants to change aerospace manufacturing with large-scale 3D printing

    During his time studying aerospace engineering and human systems engineering in the Fulton Schools, Christian LaRosa (pictured) was part of a student-led effort to develop a plasma jet engine with support from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Raytheon. He also participated in a NASA mission to develop a new method of lunar seismic data collection. In those projects, he learned how 3D-printing could help solve technological problems. Now working in industry, through a company he founded, LaRosa is leading efforts at the forefront of advancing the use of large-scale 3D-printing to make massive metal parts and structures. He is using that capability to help improve the design and manufacturing of technologies critical to the progress of the aerospace industry. (Access to the editorial content of the Arizona Republic is available only to subscribers.)

  • ASU musicians showcase creativity in electronic music

    ASU musicians showcase creativity in electronic music

    A recent interactive event at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix showcased ways in which technology is transforming music. One attraction involved demonstrations by Seth Thorn (pictured) of “wearable music,” which involved a shoulder rest for a violin he invented that provides haptic feedback to performers. Thorn teaches a course that instructs ASU students on using sensors, motion and connections to various syntheses algorithms to make music. Thorn is a clinical assistant professor in the School of Arts, Media and Engineering, a collaborative involving the Fulton Schools and the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. The event featured other new modes of music making being made possible by applications of innovations in engineering and science.

  • ChatGPT Worries Professors, Excites Them For Future of AI

    ChatGPT Worries Professors, Excites Them For Future of AI

    New technology capable of writing essays at college-level proficiency is raising concerns in academia. The artificial intelligence model called ChatGPT can mimic common styles of writing. ChatGPT could make it easy for students to cheat or plagiarize other writing. Three faculty members in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, a part of the Fulton Schools, say ChatGPT will raise a lot of questions. Professor Katina Michael is thinking about how she can structure exams and homework assignments to discourage its use. Professor Subbarao Kambhampati says teachers will eventually be able to detect the signs of students’ use of this AI technology, and Professor Kasim Selcuk Candan sees ways ChatGPT might instead be used to enhance learning.

  • The ‘Three Amigos’ Talk Microchips

    The ‘Three Amigos’ Talk Microchips

    News about the recent North American Leaders’ Summit reports on progress on an agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada to act together to boost the economies of the three countries. A major focus is making North America a major global hub for semiconductor manufacturing. That effort includes an agreement between ASU and Mexico’s ambassador to the U.S. to train people to work in the semiconductor sector in some Mexican states along the U.S. southwestern border area.  The U.S. State Department is now arranging for CHIPS and Science Act funds to establish secure supply chains for the partner countries. ASU’s support involves the Fulton Schools office of Global Outreach and Extended Education, which is working with industry, government and university leaders to advance the workforce partnership.

    See also: ASU, Mexico partner to boost production of semiconductors in North America, ASU News
    Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools, joined semiconductor industry representatives to address Mexican government and education officials during their visit to Arizona, which included a tour of the ASU MacroTechnology Works engineering research facility and a local Intel company manufacturing plant.

  • 3 locations, 7 semitrucks, 5 deaths. Driving distractions likely, DPS

    3 locations, 7 semitrucks, 5 deaths. Driving distractions likely, DPS

    Both the frequency and severity of roadway automobile crashes have been rising in Arizona and elsewhere around the country. Speeding is a big factor, along with driver distraction. Collisions also tend to be more destructive to vehicles and cause more serious driver and passenger injuries and fatalities because many of today’s cars and trucks are bigger and heavier than in the past. A rising percentage of car and truck accidents on roadways are resulting in fatalities. Research led by Professor Ram Pendyala, a transportation engineer and director of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, a part of the Fulton Schools, has often focused on traffic safety factors. Pendyala says drivers must resist being distracted and keep as much distance as possible between them and larger vehicles.

  • Aclarity destroys PFAS chemicals in mobile pilot

    Aclarity destroys PFAS chemicals in mobile pilot

    A chemical waste destruction technology company reports it has developed an effective and economical tool for destruction of PFAS chemicals, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl, which can pose serious health risks for people. They are also known as “forever chemicals,” because they do not easily degrade, and thus present persistent contamination threats. But an electrochemical destruction method developed by the company shows promise for effectively degrading PFAS chemicals into harmless byproducts, according to environmental engineer Mahmut Ersan, a Fulton Schools assistant research professor. The process has been tested in Ersan’s lab. He says its efficiency in destroying the substances is “a notable advancement” in mitigating the dangers posed by these chemicals.

  • ENR Southwest’s 2023 Top Young Pros

    ENR Southwest’s 2023 Top Young Pros

    Seven ASU graduates are among 20 construction industry professionals under age 40 selected for the publication’s 2023 recognition of top achievers and up and coming leaders in their fields. Six earned degrees in programs in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, a part of the Fulton Schools. They are Brittany Burbes and Curtis Smith (both construction management graduates) Andrew Moreno (civil engineering), Rumpa Dey (master’s in civil engineering-transportation), Kimberley Martin (civil engineering doctoral degree) and Sanjay Paul (transportation engineering master’s and doctoral degrees). Tyler Besch earned an urban and environmental planning degree in ASU’s School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning. All of them work for prominent Arizona companies.

  • X-ray light reveals how virus responsible for COVID-19 covers its tracks, eluding the immune system

    X-ray light reveals how virus responsible for COVID-19 covers its tracks, eluding the immune system

    XBB.1.5, the most transmissible variant to date of the SARS CoV-2 virus, which is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, has started to move across the U.S. The new coronavirus is especially infectious because it can “outsmart” the innate immune defenses of the human body, experts say. Now, in a new study involving 30 research collaborators, including faculty members in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, are developing a detailed map with directions for the design of stronger COVID-fighting drugs. The project involves working to thwart the ability of a protein called NendoU to conceal the coronavirus in the body.

  • Helping women in Vietnam become academic leaders

    Helping women in Vietnam become academic leaders

    ASU’s participation in the U.S. Agency for International Development program Building University-Industry Learning and Development through Innovation and Technology, or BUILD-IT, which the Fulton Schools Office of Global Outreach and Extended Education, or GOEE, helps to facilitate, is helping to expand and improve education in engineering and other STEM fields in other countries. One way GOEE is contributing is assisting the efforts of BUILD-IT in Vietnam to boost the involvement of women in numerous universities in Vietnam, including opening paths for them into STEM leadership positions. That work supports USAID’s broader goal to develop higher education initiatives in Vietnam to help 150,000 students develop skills that would lead to a more competitive global market. Learn more from other ASU and Fulton Schools articles: ASU supports women in Vietnam to become academic leaders and 1st-gen Vietnamese student wants to prove women are an engineering asset.

  • A look into ASU’s microchip development program

    A look into ASU’s microchip development program

    With the U.S. pushing to advance its global position in the semiconductor and microchip manufacturing industry, ASU and the Fulton Schools are gearing up to support the national effort. More students are being trained in microchip engineering at the university’s research centers and laboratories equipped with some of the latest microchip design, development and production technologies. Zachary Holman, an associate professor of electrical, computer and energy engineering and director the Fulton Schools faculty entrepreneurship program, says students who master skills in these areas will have promising career prospects in many of the engineering professions. See related report.

  • No more Band-Aids: How to make the Colorado River sustainable for the long term

    No more Band-Aids: How to make the Colorado River sustainable for the long term

    One of the most critical sustainability challenges in the western U.S.  is restoring the Colorado River Basin as a dependable source of water. Climate change, drought, overallocation and other factors have combined to bring about a looming crisis that threatens to severely limit water resources to the vast region served by the basin. Many current efforts are certain to fall short of what’s needed to deal with the problem, write Margaret Garcia, as assistant professor in the Schools of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and Elizabeth A. Koebele, an associate professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Reno. They say long-term solutions will require dramatically changing management policies and rethinking how we use water. The opinion piece was also published by azcentral.com and MSN, Pehal News (India) and Water News Network.

December

2022
  • ASU faculty members selected to lead proposal for microelectronics research, development in the Southwest

    ASU faculty members selected to lead proposal for microelectronics research, development in the Southwest

    Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools and Sally Morton, executive vice president of ASU’s Knowledge Enterprise, will lead a team of ASU faculty, staff and partners to form the Microelectronics Commons, a national network funded by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. The team is a response to the U.S. Department of Defense request for solutions, which solicits regional hubs that have “lab prototyping capabilities and sources of microelectronics talent for onshore, lab-to-fab transition of semiconductor technologies,” Squires and Morton will direct ASU’s strategic proposal to the defense department to create and operate a Microelectronics Commons to pursue innovation in the field and help the U.S. become the global leader in microchip research, development and manufacturing. (Access to the full content of the Phoenix Business Journal is available only to subscribers.)

  • ASU Relationships To Help Arizona Become Top Semiconductor Manufacturer

    ASU Relationships To Help Arizona Become Top Semiconductor Manufacturer

    Fulton Schools leadership and faculty members are at the center of ASU’s collaborations with government and business leaders to bring semiconductor industry jobs to Arizona. Some major technology companies are now looking at Fulton Schools students as a source of experts for collaborations and for future student interns and full-time employees. Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools, says the university has aligned some of its engineering education programs with the needs of leading technology manufacturing companies that are now in a growth mode in Arizona and across the country. The president of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council sees more semiconductor suppliers being drawn to ASU to find employees to fill growing numbers of STEM-based positions.

    See Also: Arizona State University Advancing With Proposal For CHIPS And Science Act Funding, India Education Diary

  • Lincoln Center undergrad’s project explores responsible AI, classroom technology

    Lincoln Center undergrad’s project explores responsible AI, classroom technology

    Through ASU’s Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics, Fulton Schools senior computer science student Jose Gonzalez-Garduno explored how using artificial intelligence, or AI, technology in K–12 classrooms affects students and educators. He found that AI is changing not only how STEM subjects are taught but are reshaping modern education in general and how educational systems operate. But while today’s technology can provide effective computer-based training and computer-aided instruction, Gonzalez-Garduno says schools must maintain the value of what basic human interaction brings to the overall educational experience. He is now planning to pursue a computer science master’s degree and possibly a doctoral degree to prepare for a career creating new technologies that bring positive societal impacts.

  • ‘Snakes’ on the moon? These helpers could soon join our lunar mission.

    ‘Snakes’ on the moon? These helpers could soon join our lunar mission.

    A six-legged spider-like robot was recently developed by of a group of ASU engineering students for a NASA competition that challenged participants to come with applications and designs for robotics technology that could potentially help the national space agency explore the moon’s roughest terrain. The ASU team responded with a four foot tall robot named CHARLOTTE, an acronym for Crater Hydrogen And Regolith Laboratory for Observation on Technical Terrain Environments, which uses a lidar system to scan surrounding terrain. CHARLOTTE won the competition’s best systems engineering award.

  • International ASU grad uses experiences to undo waste

    International ASU grad uses experiences to undo waste

    Nivedita Biyana remembers that as I child she watched someone separating items from garbage into two containers. It sparked Biyana’s curiosity and motivated her to learn about recycling. Today, many years later, she has earned a doctoral degree in civil and environmental engineering from the Fulton Schools. A highlight of Biyana’s time at ASU is a $150,000 award she won with Fulton Schools Professor Rolf Halden to support a nonprofit startup that developed testing to detect the presence of COVID-19 in wastewater. That led to a $1 million Rockefeller Foundation award to help the Navajo Nation cope with the COVID pandemic. Biyana now plans to pursue a career in the recycling industry while continuing to work on her startup venture.

  • Study finds microbiota transfer therapy provides long-term improvement in gut health in children with autism

    Study finds microbiota transfer therapy provides long-term improvement in gut health in children with autism

    A new study by ASU researchers and some of their colleagues is finding a potentially more promising way to improve communication between the human gut and the brain, which could provide an effective treatment for symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. One in 44 children in the U.S.  are adfected by the disorder. Fulton Schools professors Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown and James Adams are among collaborators on the research. Krajmalnik-Brown directs ASU’s Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes. Adams directs ASU’s Autism/Asperger’s Research Program. They are working on the project’s second phase, seeking to verify whether the findings that a microbiota transfer procedure involving the transfer of gut microbiota from healthy donors to autism spectrum disorder patients will prove correct in follow-up tests.

  • The Colorado River we rely on is likely to get even drier

    The Colorado River we rely on is likely to get even drier

    Even if the Southwest’s Colorado River basin gets more than average rain or snowfall in coming decades, experts say it is unlikely to effectively counteract the impacts of continued warming weather and a drying climate. So, a hotter and drier environment in Arizona and bordering states is a certainty, says Enrique Vivoni (pictured), a Fulton Schools associate professor and hydrologist whose expertise is in interactions of climate, ecosystems and landscapes in arid and semiarid regions. Vivoni has also been involved in a recent NASA-funded project enabling the Central Arizona Project and ASU researchers to carefully assess ongoing environmental trends in the Colorado River Basin region. (Access to the full content of Tucson.com is available only to subscribers.)

  • Tempe was at the forefront of wastewater testing for COVID-19, other emerging health crises

    Tempe was at the forefront of wastewater testing for COVID-19, other emerging health crises

    As COVID-19 infections began to spread, Tempe was among the first cities to be provided a warning system for the spread of the virus. ASU’s Center for Environmental Health Engineering, directed by Fulton Schools Professor Rolf Halden, had been tracking the use of opioids in the city using the center’s wastewater monitoring capabilities, but switched its focus to COVID in the early days of the pandemic. Halden says the center was the first in the world to not only measure COVID spread but to show how the virus was moving through communities. That enabled city officials to ramp up health resources in reaction to COVID outbreaks. Today, the center has the capabilities to also monitor the spread of other diseases and health risks, including diabetes, cancer, polio and obesity.

    See also: World’s first open access dashboard reveals neighboor-level trands of COVID-19 from wastewater, ASU News, December 8

    ASU researchers turning to Tempe wastewater to track community’s health, December 13, 3TV/CBS 5 News-Phoenix

  • ASU professor on the plausibility of Elon Musk’s brain implant plans

    ASU professor on the plausibility of Elon Musk’s brain implant plans

    Prominent entrepreneur Elon Musk has a new startup venture in the works, one that will necessitate application of advances in brain computer interface technologies. Plans are for the company, Neuralink, to provide chips that can be planted into the brain that would be capable of helping to restore vision, mobility and possibly other related physical abilities. Neural engineer and neuroscientist Bradley Greger, an associate professor in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, a part of the Fulton Schools, says some of Musk’s goals are not out of reach based on progress in such technologies in recent years, but others likely will take many years and many scientific and biomedical engineering resources to fully realize. Image from iStock/Getty Images

  • Yes, semiconductor plants use a lot of water, but the vast majority is recycled and returned

    Yes, semiconductor plants use a lot of water, but the vast majority is recycled and returned

    Construction of two large semiconductor fabrication plants in Phoenix by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC, is expected to result in a major boost for the city’s economy. But questions are being raised about whether there is an adequate supply of water to support the company’s vast operations. Paul Westerhoff, a professor of civil and environmental engineering in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, says he is confident that recent engineering innovations can help, specifically through the use of recycled wastewater systems. He notes TSMC is already planning to build an on-site water reclamation plant for its manufacturing operations.

  • ASU Regents Professor honored with materials science award

    ASU Regents Professor honored with materials science award

    Alexandra Navrotsky has earned another high honor for her achievements in materials science. An ASU Regents Professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, a part of the Fulton Schools, she is now among winners of the prestigious Czochralski Medal from the European Materials Research Society for her contributions to materials research. Navrotsky, who directs ASU’s Center for Materials of the Universe, is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences. She has published more than 900 scientific papers and serves on numerous academic and government advisory committees and panels.

  • How Is Everyone Making Those A.I. Selfies?

    How Is Everyone Making Those A.I. Selfies?

    Among the latest proliferating social media fads is the use of the app called Lensa AI. The app uses artificial intelligence to enable reproductions of selfie images transformed into a plethora of theatrical incarnations, some of which can be provocative. The app offers themes for the images like “anime,” “cosmic” and “fairy princess.” Subbarao Kambhampati, an AI researcher and a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, a part of the Fulton Schools, says the AI-based image generator is a powerful technology, and while it can be fun to use and spark some creativity, Kamhampati and others caution that its uses could raise privacy concerns and lead to the exploitation of users and their images.

    See Also: Those amazing Lensa AI avatars, The Telegraph (India)

  • New York ranked one of the most vulnerable states for identity theft

    New York ranked one of the most vulnerable states for identity theft

    Residents of the state of New York are among U.S. residents most victimized by identity theft. A study by WalletHub found New Yorkers rank ninth in median financial loss per victim for identity theft and fraud, and ninth in percentage of population victimized by identity theft and fraud. Use of social media is a major factor contributing to the rise in identity theft, says Katina Michael, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and ASU’s School for the Future of Innovation in Society. Her work includes research on the socioethical implications of emerging technologies. Michael says people pass along more personal information about themselves on social media platforms than they realize.

  • Here’s how giant semiconductor plant rising in north Phoenix will shape Arizona’s economy

    Here’s how giant semiconductor plant rising in north Phoenix will shape Arizona’s economy

    A massive new semiconductor fabrication plant being built on more than 1,100 acres in north Phoenix by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., or TSMC, is seen as a major economic stimulant for the metro area. Business leaders are predicting it will have impacts statewide on job creation, industry growth, commercial and housing developments and even cultural relations between Arizona and Taiwan. Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools, also sees the plant being a catalyst for job growth and development of the next generations of semiconductor chips. Squires expects ASU to not only provide TSMC with many of the news workers it will need, but also to see TSMC establish research collaborations with the Fulton Schools and other ASU colleges and programs. (Access to the editorial content of the Arizona Republic is available only to subscribers.)

    See Also: Future of Semiconductor Chips in the Valley, 12 News Phoenix (YouTube)
    Kyle Squires, dean of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, is interviewed about the potential impact of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. opening expansive operations in Phoenix.

    ASU’s major role in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company coming to Arizona, Fox10 News-Phoenix

    Taiwan Semiconductor to announce 2nd Phoenix factory during Biden visit. Company plans $40B investment, Arizona Republic

    TSMC impact on Phoenix: 80,000 jobs over next 5 years, AZ Big Media

    5 things to know about Phoenix’s TSMC semiconductor plant, Arizona Republic

    Why Arizona is working with Mexico to support semiconductor growth in North America, Phoenix Business Journal

    Biden Touts Advanced Chips Manufacturing in Visit to Arizona Semiconductor Plant, VOA (Voice of America news)

  • Catalysts for a nature-based future

    Catalysts for a nature-based future

    Nick Heier has earned master’s degrees in construction management and technology from the Del E. Webb School of Construction, part of the Fulton Schools, and in biomimicry from the School of Complex Adaptive Systems in ASU’s College of Global Futures. He hopes to use that broad education to contribute to nature-inspired solutions to infrastructure development challenges. He will be applying his knowledge to help shape the built environment for the 2032 Olympics in Australia and working with Biomimicry 3.8, a bio-inspired consultancy, with an ASU faculty member. Heier was an online student, but says he still felt connected to the ASU community, and was able to team with professors and researchers in his field.

  • NSF renews $2.5M grant for STEM education, careers

    NSF renews $2.5M grant for STEM education, careers

    The Western Alliance to Expand Student Opportunities, directed by Fulton Schools Associate Professor Jan Andino, strives to broaden education in science, technology, engineering and math fields for students who have been historically underrepresented in those STEM studies. The alliance’s work is getting more support with the recent renewal of a $2.5 million National Science Foundation grant. The alliance, which includes 13 educational institutions across Arizona, Colorado and Utah, seeks to accomplish it goals by providing students research experiences, mentoring from peers and STEM faculty, summer programs and virtual workshops. Andino says the grant will promote collaboration on research and other educational endeavors that will uplift the next generation of diverse STEM students.

  • Wanda Dalla Costa Is Laying Down the Groundwork for the Next Generation of Indigenous Architects

    Wanda Dalla Costa Is Laying Down the Groundwork for the Next Generation of Indigenous Architects

    Over the past two decades, architect Wanda Dalla Costa has become a pioneer in serving indigenous communities in North America in ways that help them reconnect with their cultural heritage. Those endeavors are among reasons she is now recognized among her creative peers on Architectural Digest magazine’s 2023 AD100 list of innovators. Dalla Costa is a faculty member in the Del E. Webb School of Construction, part of the Fulton Schools, and The Design School at ASU, a member of the Saddle Lake First Nation and founder of the Indigenous Design Collaborative at ASU. For her work in those roles and related pursuits, the magazine places her at the forefront of today’s indigenous architecture professionals who are setting the stage for further evolution in the field.

November

2022
  • San Francisco will allow police to deploy robots that kill

    San Francisco will allow police to deploy robots that kill

    Supervisors in San Francisco have approved allowing the city’s police force to use remote-controlled robots to deal with emergency situations — but not without heated debate and strong objections from the public, including civil liberties and police oversight groups, particularly because the robots have the capability to use lethal force. Protestors voiced concerns it would lead to militarization of a police force already prone to acting aggressively. Newscasters sought the opinion of Fulton Schools Professor Brad Allenby, whose research has included consideration of ethical values in decisions about the use of technology. Allenby said there are safeguards that could be put in place to deter fears of excessive use of weaponized robots.

  • 2022 Materials Today Rising Star Award Winners Announced

    2022 Materials Today Rising Star Award Winners Announced

    Materials Today’s Rising Star Awards recognize researchers in materials science and engineering who have demonstrated their capability as researchers with the potential to become leaders in their field. Among the seven chosen as this year’s awardees is Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Houlong Zhang, whose research focuses on applying quantum mechanical simulations, machine learning and quantum computing calculations to tackle issues such as hydrogen storage and direct air capture with the aim of achieving energy and environmental sustainability. Zhuang has more than 9000 citations on his 100-plus research publications and has earned positions as a Scialog Fellow for Negative Emissions Science and a Fellow of the International Association of Advanced Materials.

  • ASU honors students inspired at 2022 Society of Women Engineers conference

    ASU honors students inspired at 2022 Society of Women Engineers conference

    Growing opportunities for women in engineering were explored by three Fulton Schools students who participated in the recent annual Society of Women Engineers conference. Senior mechanical engineering and professional flight major Audrey Schlichting, junior human systems engineering and technological entrepreneurship and management major Meredith Jaxon, and first-year software engineering major Emily Sanders were among four ASU students who received funding from ASU’s Barrett, The Honors College, to attend the conference. They found a variety of options for women in an expanding array of STEM fields, increasing acceptance of diversity in the engineering professions, and guidance and inspiration from women who are making notable strides in their engineering careers through their accomplishments and leadership.

  • High school students learn about artificial intelligence and related career paths

    High school students learn about artificial intelligence and related career paths

    With fast-emerging artificial intelligence, or AI, technology and its growing uses in many areas of society, concerns are arising about AI’s potentially troubling impacts. A recent AI Boot Camp for a group of Arizona high school students explored reactions to AI’s expanding ubiquity. Leaders of the event sought to separate facts from misconceptions and to explore AI as a promising career path. Aviral Shrivastava, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, says boundaries can be put in place that can help to keep AI in check. But as with all rapidly advancing technologies, Shrivastava adds, decisions must be made on how AI is applied to ensure it is used to serve the public interest. The article was also published in the Daily Courier (Prescott), Tuscon.com, the Tucson Sentinel, KGUN 9 News (Tucson) and the Herald Review (Cochise County)

  • ASU faculty among top female scientists in the world

    ASU faculty among top female scientists in the world

    Research.com’s new list of the top 1,000 female scientists in the world includes four ASU professors. Among them is Fulton Schools Professor Alexandra Navrotsky, a leading expert in multiple branches of materials science and engineering. Navrotsky is one of the leaders in groundbreaking research and discoveries in her field. She has contributed to advances in the fields of ceramics, mantle mineralogy and deep earth geophysics, melt and glass science, nanomaterials and porous materials. Navrotsky was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1993. Several years ago, a newly discovered mineral was named navrotskyite in her honor.

  • Arizona university strengthens US semiconductor manufacturing

    Arizona university strengthens US semiconductor manufacturing

    Leaders in manufacturing from several major industries attended a recent event to celebrate the launch of the newest of the Fulton Schools, the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks at ASU’s Polytechnic campus. About 200 business representatives and ASU affiliates got a look at the what the new school will do to help revitalize manufacturing operations to meet today’s growing demands in the semiconductor market and other leading technology sectors. The school’s director, Binil Starly, is bringing together decision-makers from both academia and industry to chart a course for shaping the academic programing and educational infrastructure the school will need to thrive. Research and technology development in microelectronics manufacturing, space manufacturing and biomanufacturing are certain to be major areas of focus. The article is also published in the Semiconductor Digest.

  • ASU brings energy, carbon capture solutions expertise to COP27 global climate conference

    ASU brings energy, carbon capture solutions expertise to COP27 global climate conference

    Fulton Schools students and faculty members participated in the recent United Nations global climate summit, COP27, joining leaders and policymakers from around the world who are seeking effective solutions to climate-related environmental challenges. The Fulton Schools contingent was joined by others in the ASU community from the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory and the Thunderbird School of Global Management. Fulton Schools Professor Sayfe Kiaei, director of the USAID-funded Center of Excellence for Energy in Egypt, also attended. Kiaei says it’s important to have contributions from ASU faculty and staff to solutions that address climate, carbon capture and energy issues. ASU hosted more than 15 events at the summit.

  • ASU names Regents Professors for 2023

    ASU names Regents Professors for 2023

    Two Fulton Schools faculty members are among those most recently named ASU Regents Professors, the university’s highest recognition for educators. Huan Liu, a professor of computer science and engineering in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, and Alexandra Navrotsky, a professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, join two other ASU faculty members as 2023 recipients of the honor. Liu is a pioneering artificial intelligence researcher. Navrotsky, who directs the Navrotsky Eyring Center for the Materials of the Universe, is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and a leader in materials science research.

  • Arizona plans to give millions to ASU for water innovation, research

    Arizona plans to give millions to ASU for water innovation, research

    Arizona government leaders have decided to invest $40 million to fund a multi-year initiative calling for ASU to oversee an extensive effort to help ensure the state’s water supply for the future. The project will be led by the Fulton Schools and the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory. It will also involve SOURCE Water, an ASU spin-out company, along with the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and Intel Corporation. The Arizona Water Innovation Initiative will be implemented and scaled up over five years, and draw on expertise and resources from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, National Science Foundation, NASA and state and local water departments and associations, as well as Arizona’s two other state universities. ASU President Michael Crow says the project comes at “a critical innovation moment for water” in Arizona and several other states in the Southwest. (Full access to the content of the Arizona Business Journal is available only to subscribers.)

    See Also: State of Arizona taps ASU to lead water innovation initiative, ASU News, ASU tapped to lead statewide water initiative, Daily Independent (Phoenix), Arizona State University to lead water reseaqrch initiative for state’s resources, KTAR News, ASU will lead initiative to help secure water supply, AZ Big Media

  • Is drought in Arizona and the Southwest the new normal?

    Is drought in Arizona and the Southwest the new normal?

    Fully understanding the nature of the relationships between Arizona’s climate and the conditions of its natural resources is no simple task, says Fulton Schools Professor Enrique Vivoni. Many fluctuating and unpredictable factors can influence how Arizona’s various environments change and impact the climatological conditions under which the state’s residents live. Droughts, heatwaves, floods, varying atmospheric fluctuations and many other things shaped by the forces of nature, and by the actions of the human population, can make maintaining environmental health and stability in Arizona an especially complex and long-term challenge.

  • Why Big Tech Is Throwing $1 Billion at Sucking CO2 From the Air

    Why Big Tech Is Throwing $1 Billion at Sucking CO2 From the Air

    There are significant costs and criticism standing in the way of implementing direct air capture technology to help reduce one of the potentially more destructive causes of climate change. Direct air capture systems remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide comes from burning fossil fuels and is a major source of the greenhouse gas emissions driving a long-growing climate crisis. More than two decades ago, Klaus Lackner was among the first to recognize the technology as a potential remedy for the problem. Today, as a Fulton Schools professor, he directs ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, overseeing research to make air capture affordable and a viable technology in the field of sustainable energy infrastructure design.

  • Street teams, cool pavement, shady trees: How Phoenix protects residents from extreme heat

    Street teams, cool pavement, shady trees: How Phoenix protects residents from extreme heat

    Efforts in the Phoenix area to find solutions to the intensifying urban heat effect are being looked at by other cities and metropolitan areas facing similar climate and environmental challenges, including Dallas, Texas. Some of the solutions to mitigating the impacts of high temperatures are being developed by ASU researchers. Among them is Fulton Schools faculty member and urban climatologist Ariane Middel (pictured with her mobile meteorological monitoring technology), director of the university’s Sensible Heatscapes and Digital Environments lab, or SHaDE lab. One project involves a coating called Cool Seal that can be used on asphalt surfaces. It’s been found to reduce the air temperature on these surfaces, making them more comfortable for people. (Access to the article requires signing up for the publication’s News Roundup Newsletter)

  • Pathways for the Future honors scholarship awardee during Salute to Service week

    Pathways for the Future honors scholarship awardee during Salute to Service week

    Gil Ruiz is on course earn a degree in engineering, with a focus on robotics, from the Fulton Schools, thanks in part to ASU’s Pathways for the Future program. A single father, military veteran and transfer student, Ruiz has been aided in pursuing his higher education and career goals by both the Pathways program and MyPath2ASU. Beyond financial assistance, the programs have given him and other students resources to enable and enhance their journeys through college by providing opportunities to connect with networks of professionals in their fields and benefit from the knowledge and experience of mentors in preparing to enter the engineering workforce.

  • ASU professor receives federal funding for technology to grow domestic critical minerals supply chain

    ASU professor receives federal funding for technology to grow domestic critical minerals supply chain

    ASU’s Navrotsky Eyring Center for Materials of the Universe, directed by Fulton Schools professor Alexandra Navrotsky, will be expanding its pursuits as part of a new research program funded by the federal Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy program. The project aims to develop market-ready technologies to increase domestic supplies of critical elements required for transition to clean energy. The selection of the Eyring Center for a central role in the endeavor is a result of the center’s wide-ranging work combining expertise in cosmology, astrophysics, astronomy, planetary science and exploration, mineralogy and petrology with materials science and engineering, chemistry, physics and biology. The center’s goal for the new federal project will focus on contributing to materials solutions for decarbonization and sustainable and clean energy.

  • ASU leads $25M project to develop Southwest urban integrated field laboratory

    ASU leads $25M project to develop Southwest urban integrated field laboratory

    Arizona communities are among those increasingly facing the challenge of coping with the consequences of extreme heat, which is being intensified by climate change and urban growth. Now a new ASU-led partnership will work to make advances in urban climate research with the goal of developing solutions to the problem for areas of the state most vulnerable to rising heat. The effort will be led by the Southwest Urban Corridor Integrated Field Laboratory, whose deputy director is Fulton Schools Associate Professor Jean Andino. With a research team of experts in a diverse range of fields, Andino says the project can produce solutions enabling communities to be more environmentally resilient.

  • Defense under secretary visits ASU MacroTechnology Works

    Defense under secretary visits ASU MacroTechnology Works

    In her mission to ensure the U.S. government can best utilize emerging engineering and technology innovations to strengthen the nation’s military forces, U.S. Department of Defense Under Secretary Heidi Shyu recently visited ASU’s MacroTechnology Works. Touring the research facility with Fulton Schools Associate Professor Zachry Holman (second from right in photo) and others, Shyu got an overview of the ecosystem at ASU that is bringing together university researchers and community and industry partners in ventures to develop, prototype and manufacture the advanced technologies needed to ensure the protection of the nation and its interests around the world. Shyu noted that ASU is also helping to expand the talented workforce needed to support national security goals.

  • How universities can support the National Defense Strategy

    How universities can support the National Defense Strategy

    U.S. national defense and security strategists consider leadership in development of new technologies critical to the nation’s safety and stability. Nadya Bliss, the executive director of ASU’s Global Security Initiative and a professor of practice in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, a part of the Fulton Schools, talks about the role of emerging technologies in geopolitical competition and how universities can support the country’s defense by providing diverse groups of students an education in STEM subjects, enabling them to contribute to building U.S. technological strength. As the largest engineering school by enrollment in the country, Bliss says the Fulton Schools is poised to help achieve that goal.

  • Constructing a life of honor

    Constructing a life of honor

    Fulton Schools graduate student Ryan Benally is ASU’s 2022 Tillman Scholar, an award honoring community service, leadership and commitment to others. Benally served in the U.S. Marine Corps and has contributed to improving public services and infrastructure in his community, which is part of the Navajo Nation. He serves as a vice chair with the Utah Navajo Trust Fund, which helps oversee the health, education and general welfare of the Navajo residents of San Juan County, Utah. After graduating from the University of New Mexico with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Pat Tillman’s military enlistment motivated him to join the U.S. Marines. As part of his award, the Tillman Foundation presented Benally with a scholarship to support his studies in the Fulton Schools for a graduate degree in construction management and technology.

  • ASU launches new quantum research collaborative

    ASU launches new quantum research collaborative

    ASU has launched the Quantum Collaborative to expand understanding of quantum technology and form partnerships to realize its potential. One of ASU’s Knowledge Enterprise leaders says quantum technology could change how the world can solve it biggest problems. But Christian Arenz, a Fulton Schools assistant professor and a member of the collaborative’s ASU advisory board, says it’s too early to clearly foresee the full impacts of quantum technology. Still, he does see possibilities for enabling advanced simulations of complex systems that could help in developing more resilient materials, more effective pharmaceuticals, better predictive financial market and weather pattern modeling, and revealing how pathogens spread through the air.

    See Also: ASU launches quantum technology research collaborative, The Business Journals AZ INNO, November 1

  • What you need to know about this age of civilizational conflict

    What you need to know about this age of civilizational conflict

    In his leading role in the Consortium for Emerging Technologies, Military Operations, and National Security at ASU, Fulton Schools Professor Brad Allenby (pictured giving a lecture) has studied the transitions from traditional warfare and on a battlefield to conflicts in which aggressors use cyberspace to weaken or undermine the infrastructure, societal cohesion and culture of opponents. Allenby says this new form of war makes the expertise of civil engineers more vital in helping societies protect their critical infrastructure — both physical and cyber infrastructure — to defend themselves against enemies. Designing, building, operating, and maintaining infrastructure to reduce vulnerability to cyber attacks should today be a required standard of performance in the engineering profession, he says.

October

2022
  • Wastewater testing program puts Tempe on the scientific map

    Wastewater testing program puts Tempe on the scientific map

    A partnership between the city of Tempe and ASU researchers is helping advance the use of wastewater testing methods to alert communities to emerging health risks. The project has been effective in detecting and tracking outbreaks of public health threats, including COVID-19 and opioid addiction. The data the effort is producing is helping the city better inform residents in areas where problems are most prominent, says Tempe strategic management official Wydale Holmes. Prompted by the program’s results, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. Navy and the University of Arizona have launched wastewater monitoring projects. Read more about the wastewater epidemiology methods being developed by researchers in ASU’s Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, directed by Fulton Schools Professor Rolf Halden. (Access to the full news content of the Tempe Independent is accessible only to subscribers.)

  • ASU, Mesa celebrate new MIX Center as highlight of partnership

    ASU, Mesa celebrate new MIX Center as highlight of partnership

    Courses in digital media technology, worldbuilding, experience design and gaming offered by the Fulton Schools and the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts will be among the educational opportunities at ASU’s new Media and Immersive eXperience Center. The MIX Center, boasting the technological capability to produce anything from full-fledged superhero movies to virtual reality video games, is the largest part of the Mesa City Center complex, which includes an outdoor plaza space with a 100-foot movie screen and The Studios, a midcentury building that houses programming and services offered by ASU’s J. Orrin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute and The Sidney Poitier New American Film School.

    See Also: ASU Hosts Grand Opening at Mesa City Center, The State Press, October 28

  • AZ getting $884M for public transit, airport upgrades

    AZ getting $884M for public transit, airport upgrades

    Developing public transportation infrastructure is expensive, but the investment is worth the price, experts say. In the Phoenix metropolitan area, for example, thousands of people rely on public transportation to get to jobs and schools. Agreeing with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Fulton Schools professor of civil engineering Steven Polzin says public transit systems are good for local and regional economies. The mobility the systems provide give workers access to a greater choice of jobs, says Polzin, who was a senior adviser to the federal transportation agency. The systems also are better for urban air quality and result in less traffic on roadways.

    See also: Fed, state funds for road, street improvements, Arizona Capitol Times, October 28. Polzin talks about how Arizona can benefit in coming years from funding for transportation system improvements provided by the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

  • Fact check: Arizona Rep. Debbie Lesko’s comparison of electric car and traditional batteries misses key points

    Fact check: Arizona Rep. Debbie Lesko’s comparison of electric car and traditional batteries misses key points

    Studies are finding consumers would save money over the course of an electric-powered automobile’s lifetime because of lower fuel and maintenance costs. But some dispute the economic benefits of electric vehicles — including an Arizona government representative. Auto industry sources say a comparison based solely on the costs of gasoline versus those of electric power does not provide an accurate assessment of the economics of electric vehicle ownership. A Fulton Schools faculty associate in automotive systems, Jeffrey Wishart, and an associate professor of automotive engineering, Abdel Ra’ouf Mayyas, point to various technological factors that must considered for such cost comparisons to be accurate. The article was also published by Cronkite News/ Arizona PBS. (Full access to the Phoenix Business Journal news content is accessible only to subscribers.)

  • ASU Proposers Day invites industry leaders to collaborate on state issues

    ASU Proposers Day invites industry leaders to collaborate on state issues

    In support of Arizona’s New Economy Initiative, ASU is establishing five science and technology centers. Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools, says the initiative’s main goal is the creation of high-value jobs. The initiative project will help shorten the time between the conception of new ideas for technological innovations and the implementation of processes to bring those new ideas to fruition, Squires says. That will speed formation of new companies, along with the hiring of employees to develop and produce new systems and technologies. Squires says the plan is for new ideas to be proposed before the end of the year and to start work on the new centers and projects as early as February.

  • ASU facilities provide opportunities for businesses to scale research

    ASU facilities provide opportunities for businesses to scale research

    Among the ways ASU is boosting the state’s economy and supporting business growth is the university’s Core Research Facilities program, which provides state-of-the-art equipment for public uses. Zachary Holman, a Fulton Schools associate professor of electrical, computer and energy engineering, notes that the program saves companies the costs of purchasing, installing and maintaining the kind of equipment needed to prototype new products. The university can also provide experts to operate that equipment, saving business the time and expense of doing it themselves. ASU has Core Facilities operations in Tempe, Phoenix, Mesa and Chandler.

  • Video shows Chinese robot dogs with mounted machine guns

    Video shows Chinese robot dogs with mounted machine guns

    Mechanical K-9s may now be a part of the arsenal of weaponry available to China’s military. News of one of the latest additions to the equipment provided to the country’s armed forces reports on the development of robotic dogs equipped with machine guns. The robots can be programmed to identify, track and fire the guns at various designated targets. Fulton Schools Professor Brad Allenby, whose expertise includes the geopolitical, military and security implications of emerging technologies, says the militaries of the U.S. and most other countries are aware of these new weapons and have the capability to deal with them.

  • How pavement can help cool overheated cities, even in chilly Mass.

    How pavement can help cool overheated cities, even in chilly Mass.

    Pavement materials used on streets, parking lots and other expansive outdoor surfaces are a big contributor to the excess heat that’s been overtaking many large and densely populated urban areas. Many pavement materials radiate a lot heat into the atmosphere, making environments not only uncomfortable but also a cause of serious health threats. Scientists, engineers, climate experts, transportation officials and others are exploring a variety of potential strategies for cooling things down around heavily paved surfaces and slowing global warming. Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Ariane Middel, a researcher in ASU’s Urban Climate Research Center, has been a key contributor to projects showing positive results in reducing urban heat.

    See Also: Middel appears in the current documentary “Surviving Hothouse Earth” on public television in Germany.

  • Wireless power implant could help remove brain tumours

    Wireless power implant could help remove brain tumours

    Researchers have developed an implant that triggers nanoparticles to kill brain tumors. The research team includes Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Hamed Arami, whose expertise spans bioengineering, nanotechnology, electrical engineering, imaging and neuroscience. The remotely activated implant heats up gold nanoparticles that have been injected into tumors. The nanoparticles then gradually destroy cancerous cells. By adjusting the power and wavelength of light, researchers can target tumors of different sizes and locations in the brain. Until now the photothermal treatment could be performed only during open skull surgery, when the tumor is accessible. The procedure will produce fewer side effects than the use of current chemotherapy and radiation treatments, Arami says.

  • ASU researcher advances the science of protein sequencing with NIH Innovator Award

    ASU researcher advances the science of protein sequencing with NIH Innovator Award

    A deeper understanding of proteins — the molecules that shape structure, function and regulation of human body tissues and organs — is critical to continued progress in diagnostic medicine and health care. Fulton Schools Associate Professor Chao Wang is among researchers at the forefront of efforts to develop new methods to achieve rapid and accurate sequencing of protein molecules necessary to make important advances paving the way for better therapeutics to treat diseases. Unraveling the complexities of protein behavior could provide new therapies for many protein-linked maladies, including cystic fibrosis, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

  • AI in Medicine Is Overhyped

    AI in Medicine Is Overhyped

    Despite the vast potential of artificial intelligence technology that many experts agree will have myriad impacts on our lives, some see reason to be cautious about hyping AI and its benefits. Two of those voices are those of Visar Berisha, a Fulton Schools associate professor of electrical, computer and energy engineering, and Julie Liss, associate dean and professor in ASU’s College of Health Solutions. They point out that AI has not been accurate in health care applications, specifically in predicting disease. They look at the causes of such inaccuracy and what can be done to prevent it. Berisha and Liss advise easing up on the hype and taking more a rigorous approach to developing AI’s abilities.

  • A record 10 ASU students, alumni nominated for Marshall, Rhodes and Mitchell scholarships

    A record 10 ASU students, alumni nominated for Marshall, Rhodes and Mitchell scholarships

    A record 10 ASU students and alumni nominated for at least one of the prestigious Marshall, Rhodes and Mitchell scholarships include Fulton Schools student Katie Sue Pascavis, who has a dual major in mechanical engineering and global health. She will graduate in the spring of next year with honors from ASU’s Barrett, The Honors College. Pascavis is the president of the ASU chapter of Engineers Without Borders and the founder of the GlobalResolve Club. If she is selected to receive a Marshall Scholarship, Pascavis plans attend the University of Cambridge and pursue a Master of Philosophy degree in engineering for sustainable development.

  • ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering hits record enrollment

    ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering hits record enrollment

    A commitment to providing high quality education — through valuable classroom experiences, learning from faculty members who are accomplished in their fields, collaborating with faculty members in research pursuits, and growing opportunities for internships, industry research and career-building endeavors. Those are among benefits Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools, has seen driving engineering education at ASU. The result? A 27 percent jump in enrollment over the past five years, making the Fulton Schools the largest engineering school in the U.S. Each of the Fulton Schools now has degree programs that have earned approval from the national Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Squires emphasizes a commitment to continuing to build on the quality of education the Fulton Schools offers. The article is also published in AZ Big Media.

  • Physicists reach qubit computing breakthrough

    Physicists reach qubit computing breakthrough

    Through their explorations in superconductivity and quantum physics, an international team of researchers has made significant progress in a branch of advanced computing. Physicist Ying-Cheng Lai, a Fulton Schools professor of electrical, computer and energy engineering, was joined by two professors at Zhejiang University in China — including one of Lai’s former doctoral students at ASU — and two researchers in the United Kingdom in making the breakthrough. The results set the stage for quantum information  technology to achieve both high processing speeds and low power consumption. Lai says the work will have applications in cybersecurity, secure communications and cryptology, among other technologies. The article is also published in Sci Tech Daily. See also: ASU, Zhejiang University reach qubit in ASU News.

  • University-Industry Partnerships Key to CHIPS Act Goals

    University-Industry Partnerships Key to CHIPS Act Goals

    Universities in the U.S. are taking on the challenges arising from the government’s decision to expand federal investment in domestic production of semiconductors. In Arizona, ASU is stepping up efforts to expand work in its research and development facilities, form new business partnerships and support new state initiatives aimed at helping the nation move into a more robust global leadership position in the semiconductor industry. Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools, says ASU is prepared to play key roles in advancing microelectronic and semiconductor chip technologies, teaching more courses in these fields and expanding workforce training. Squires points out that the Fulton Schools are already actively supporting large chip manufacturers in Arizona like the Intel and TSMC companies.

  • Creating the future cybersecurity workforce

    Creating the future cybersecurity workforce

    Much of the what happens in today’s world happens in cyberspace. That means strengthening cybersecurity is increasingly critical. Some ASU faculty members and leaders of university organizations and initiatives recently talked about the serious problems we face as the demand for cybersecurity experts continues to outpace the supply of trained professionals in the field. Yan Shoshitaishvili, assistant professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and acting director of the Center for Cybersecurity and Trusted Foundations, says more people — and not just aspiring cyberspace professionals — must be educated about how they can contribute to cyberspace safety.

  • Meet Cassie, the Usain Bolt of robots

    Meet Cassie, the Usain Bolt of robots

    Some experts say the record for the 100-meter dash recently broken by a bipedal robot opens the door to more lifelike robots. Making them capable of robust movement on two legs is a big step in the ability for humanoid robots to work effectively and productively to benefit people, the workplace and businesses, say researchers. Still, the truly big advance would be developing robots that could interact with humans in a natural way, says Nancy Cooke, a Fulton Schools professor of humans systems engineering. From her perspective, the truly evolutionary step forward would be robots with complex cognitive abilities to actually understand humans and our world as we experience it.

  • Best New Ideas in Money: Making chips at home again

    Best New Ideas in Money: Making chips at home again

    In a podcast exploring “innovations that rethink how we live, work, spend, save and invest,” Michael Kozicki (pictured), a Fulton Schools professor of electrical, computer and energy engineering who came to ASU from the semiconductor industry, is joined by Willy Shih, a Harvard Business School professor of management practice in business administration. Kozicki and Shih discuss the recent plan adopted by U.S. government leaders to subsidize domestic manufacturing of advanced semiconductors, most of which are now made in Asia. They look at trends in semiconductor manufacturing and the economic and technological challenges the U.S. faces in gaining a strong foothold as a leader in the industry. Kozicki says a good sign for the future would be seeing more students coming to U.S. universities to pursue careers in microelectronics.

  • The Shade Shortage: ASU’s Efforts And Struggle To Shield Students In The Valley of The Sun

    The Shade Shortage: ASU’s Efforts And Struggle To Shield Students In The Valley of The Sun

    While ASU’s Tempe campus and the surrounding downtown Tempe area are among the most shaded areas in the city, the Sonoran Desert heat can still make the local landscape an exceedingly dry, hot, uncomfortable and even unhealthy environment. Ariane Middel, an urban climatologist, director of the university’s SHaDE Lab, and an ASU assistant professor with an affiliation in the Fulton Schools, says the amount of concrete and asphalt in the area produces much of the heat radiation that makes the environment especially prone to sizzling temperatures. Heat-related sickness can be one result of the situation. The problem, however, can give ASU an opportunity to lead the way in coming up with more effective urban shading strategies.

  • Phoenix Cool Pavement Program in phase two of finding solution to hot roads

    Phoenix Cool Pavement Program in phase two of finding solution to hot roads

    Almost all Phoenix roads are paved with asphalt, which brings on the discomforting impact of the urban heat island effect. But the progress of the city’s Cool Pavement Program holds out hope for less heat emanation from road surfaces. Phase two of the program is now underway, so more streets are being covered with a lighter hued coating that keeps temperatures above the road surfaces cooler. But Kamil Kaloush, a professor in School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of the Fulton Schools, says asphalt is not the only factor causing excessive heat. Whether pavements are asphalt or concrete, a key factor in mitigating heat is the overall optimization of roadway environment design elements and how that can determine how materials behave.

  • ASU researchers trying to add smell to VR — but not just for fun

    ASU researchers trying to add smell to VR — but not just for fun

    We use our sense of smell in more ways than we think we do, says Associate Professor Robert LiKamWa. Odors can make us aware of things in our environment that may present safety risks. Some signs of disease and other health threats can be detected through smells. They also jog our memories of past experiences. LiKamwa, who does his augmented reality and virtual reality research in his Meteor Studio, is part of a team of ASU researchers working to produce “olfactory immersion” capabilities through virtual reality systems. The researchers see possibilities, for instance, for smells in virtual reality to help us learn to assess water quality and train firefighters to detect the sources of chemical fires. Read more about the research

September

2022
  • Supplier Boom: The rush by semiconductor suppliers and related businesses to set up shop in north Phoenix and other parts of the Valley should only intensify

    Supplier Boom: The rush by semiconductor suppliers and related businesses to set up shop in north Phoenix and other parts of the Valley should only intensify

    As the progress of the semiconductor industry’s expansion gains more steam, suppliers and other businesses that provide materials and services for the industry’s leaders are looking for land for new operations. The northern reaches of Phoenix and other locations in the metro area with large tracks of open terrain are drawing the interest of these companies. Professor Kyle Squires, dean of ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, sees the industry’s major direct suppliers and other businesses critical to the supply chain for semiconductor materials driving the rush to find suitable spaces for setting up shop. Companies using chips made by large manufacturers like TSMC and Intel also want to locate close to these facilities, Squires says. He envisions all of these factors combining to open the way for the evolution of a creative nexus of the workforce skills, manufacturing capabilities, and research that will ignite innovation and catalyze more growth in the future. (Access to the full content of the Phoenix Business Journal is available only to subscribers.)

  • Philanthropy to ASU establishes new opportunities

    Philanthropy to ASU establishes new opportunities

    ASU supporters donated more than $300 million in the 2021-2022 fiscal year that ended June 30, providing more vital support for the university’s academic, research and student success programs. Among the most generous contributors was Alexandra Navrotsky, a professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, one of the seven Fulton Schools, and director of ASU’s Navrotsky Eyring Center for Materials of the Universe. Navrotsky established a foundation in 2019 to launch the center.  To ensure support for its research into the future, she increased her investment to $10 million in the past fiscal year.

  • Lawns Are Dumb. But Ripping Them Out May Come With a Catch

    Lawns Are Dumb. But Ripping Them Out May Come With a Catch

    For the goals of environmental sustainability, lush greens lawns and other attractive landscaping elements to align in the most beneficial ways, the trick is to come up with something that provides the most cooling effects with the least necessary use of water. That’s an especially big challenge in desert regions like Arizona, says urban climatologist and Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Ariane Middel. A recent research paper Middel co-authored offers some ideas for urban landscaping that would help reduce the heat impacts in hot climates while providing aesthetic and productive landscaping. One possibility is incorporating elements of urban farming. Another option would be creative use of shade structures and efficient water recycling systems. At a time when megadrought is threatening some large regions, experts say creativity is critical to avoid a dire necessity to rip out lawns.

  • The Graduate Student Who Helped The Electronics Industry Face A Global Crisis

    The Graduate Student Who Helped The Electronics Industry Face A Global Crisis

    Many decades ago, three scientists reported results of their study of the chemical life cycle of chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, compounds widely used in many applications, including in refrigerants and non-stick coatings. CFCs were then thought to evaporate and float away after use. But the scientists found CFCs were building up in the stratosphere and opening a hole in the ozone layer that could cause health problems and possibly starvation due to crop damage. Fulton Schools Professor Brad Allenby (at right in photo), then studying for a doctoral degree in environmental science, did his dissertation on the problem. His work would help lead to the founding of the Industry Cooperative for Ozone Layer Protection and to efforts to address the dangers of CFC use.

  • Going Carbon Neutral

    Going Carbon Neutral

    ASU researchers are contributing to efforts to achieve the decarbonization of our power sources as part of the transformation to renewable energy and away from fossil fuels that lead to environmental problems. Significant work toward this goal is being done by Fulton Schools Assistant Research Professor Zhengshan Yu (pictured), Professor Bruce Rittmann and Assistant Research Professor Arthur Ono. Yu’s team has developed a more efficient solar energy panel. Rittmann and colleagues he directs at ASU’s Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology are doing research at a wastewater treatment plant to produce a carbon-neutral biofuel. Ono is working on potentially less expensive and more energy efficient solar power technology.

  • This three-mile stretch of I-10 is Arizona’s most ‘dangerous’ for crashes

    This three-mile stretch of I-10 is Arizona’s most ‘dangerous’ for crashes

    The location at which three busy freeways intersect near downtown Phoenix remains among the most dangerous stretches of the road for Arizona drivers. In 2021, there were more than 1,700 car crashes in the area. Government officials are exploring what changes could reduce the accident count. Fulton Schools Professor Ram Pendyala, a transportation engineering and director of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, says the confluence of those layered highways makes it a place where a lot of drivers are merging their vehicles and changing multiple lanes at high speeds, leading to crashes. These types of interchanges can be very efficient in keeping traffic flowing, Pendyala says, but the downside is a reduction in safety.

  • Here’s What The Chips Act Could Mean for ASU and Arizona

    Here’s What The Chips Act Could Mean for ASU and Arizona

    The recently passed national Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science Act, or CHIPS Act, is designed to drive a significant increase in semiconductor manufacturing in the United States. Regional economies in the U.S. are expected to benefit, as well as research universities like ASU. Zachary Holman, a Fulton Schools associate professor of electrical, computer and energy engineering, aided ASU’s efforts to support the legislation. He says the potential impact of the CHIPS Act could be more support for research projects and facilities at ASU, including undergraduate and graduate student research opportunities and more industry collaborations.

  • ASU Professor Helps Prepare Navajo Engineers Of The Future

    ASU Professor Helps Prepare Navajo Engineers Of The Future

    Fulton Schools Associate Professor Shawn Jordan’s expertise includes Navajo, or Diné, culture and engineering design. For the past decade, Jordan has been collaborating with the Navajo Nation Office of Diné School Improvement to teach summer STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) camps, encouraging students to consider higher education and STEM career pathways. As a result, Navajo schools officials say, more Diné student today envision themselves as engineers, scientists and mathematicians. Jordan is now working the Department of Diné Education to expand their reach in Diné elementary and high schools to further support culturally relevant engineering education across the Navajo Nation.

  • The challenges automakers, and now Tesla, face with humanoid robots

    The challenges automakers, and now Tesla, face with humanoid robots

    Auto manufacturers and other types of industrial operations that have been attempting to modernize their facilities by using robots to do much of the physical work have met with mixed results. Now the innovative Tesla car company is planning to use its own new humanoid robots in its factories. Business and industry leaders will be watching to see the results. Fulton Schools Professor Heni Ben Amor, whose expertise includes artificial intelligence, human-robot interaction, robot vision, and automatic motor skill acquisition, says the big challenge in using robots in manufacturing so far is that their actual abilities are limited while the costs to produce and deploy them are exceptionally high. Amor is also quoted in a recent article in The Straits Times and an article in euronews about Tesla’s plans to make humanoid robots.

  • Elon Musk faces skeptics as Tesla gets ready to unveil ‘Optimus’ robot

    Elon Musk faces skeptics as Tesla gets ready to unveil ‘Optimus’ robot

    Making more advanced self-driving electric vehicles may not be the ultimate achievement of Elon Musk’s innovative Tesla, Inc. electric automobile company. He now envisions producing humanoid robots. The idea is for thousands of robots to work in Tesla’s factories and later put millions of them in various industrial operations and eventually into homes. Some robotics experts and engineers are skeptical about Musk’s grandiose vision, including Nancy Cooke, a Fulton Schools professor of human systems engineering and director of ASU’s Center for Human, AI, and Robot Teaming. To make revolutionary progress, robots would need to be capable of doing more than physical tasks, no matter how efficiently they do them, Cooke says. She is quoted in other versions of the story published in CNBC News, CarScoops, TESLARATI, ReutersCoinspeaker, and The Gazette (Colorado), Interesting Engineering, UK News Today, Auto Evolution, The Next Hint, KGUN-ABC News (Tucson) Screenshot Media, Entrepreneur, Startup to Enterprise, Analytics Insight, ModularPhoneForum, VOA.

  • AI spurs scientists to advance materials research

    AI spurs scientists to advance materials research

    Materials science and engineering researchers are harnessing the abilities of robust new technologies to spark advances with the potential to have wide-ranging impacts. By taping into the expanding capabilities of artificial intelligence, or AI, and machine learning, or ML, Fulton Schools Professor Alexandra Navrotsky and Assistant Professor Qi-Jun Hong, along with Sergey Ushakov, an assistant professor in ASU’s School of Molecular Sciences, and a Brown University colleague are gaining extensive knowledge about the precise temperatures at which various materials begin melt. The knowledge can open the door to developing important high performance materials.

  • Climate change contributing to worsening drought

    Climate change contributing to worsening drought

    Hotter temperatures are making the ground drier and causing water to evaporate more quickly, resulting in less groundwater and less surface water flowing into lakes and rivers like the Colorado River, which provides water to seven states, including Arizona. Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Margaret Garcia, who studies factors influencing the sustainability and resilience of urban water supply systems, says it’s time for serious decisions to be made on using less and conserving more of the region’s water. Garcia and other experts call for government, industry, business and community leaders to work together on strategies to provide adequate water resources while also preventing widespread depletion of water resources.

  • Chaos Researchers Can Now Predict Perilous Points of No Return

    Chaos Researchers Can Now Predict Perilous Points of No Return

    Catastrophes can result from “tipping point” transitions of complex environmental systems. Such quickly eroding conditions can change weather and climate patterns, shift ocean currents or speed up melting of large ice sheets. Researchers are finding ways to predict when stable systems are about to become unstable. Fulton Schools Professor Ying-Cheng Lai, a physicist, and his research collaborators came up with a way to produce data to forecast when the stability of some kinds of systems would begin to collapse. Other researchers have since developed a machine learning algorithm to predict when systems are about to dramatically change behavior. That progress promises ways to foresee widespread alterations in Earth’s ecosystems and the planet’s climate.

  • HIBT Lab! SOURCE Global: Cody Friesen

    HIBT Lab! SOURCE Global: Cody Friesen

    Much of the world’s population experiences water scarcity, even though there is enough moisture in the atmosphere to provide ample water for almost everyone. Inventor and Fulton Schools Associate Professor Cody Friesen has for years been developing and refining solar-powered technology to capture atmospheric vapor and convert it into drinking water. His SOURCE Global company’s solar hydropanels are now used in systems providing clean drinking water in more the 50 countries. In a recent interview Friesen talks about plans to expand his company’s reach to more countries, and the need for entrepreneurs to also bring renewable energy resources to more communities. Read about the recent award given to Friesen for the global impact of his ventures.

  • ASU professor chosen to lead global urban climate research organization

    ASU professor chosen to lead global urban climate research organization

    As growing efforts around the world explore potential solutions to deal with the impacts of a warming climate, Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Ariane Middel is stepping into the role of president of the International Association for Urban Climate, the leading global organization focused on urban climate science and scholarship. She will guide the organization of more than 1,000 members worldwide for the next four years. With much of the world experiencing climate crisis situations, the group’s work is more important than ever, says Middel, who also directs ASU’s SHaDE Lab and is on the leadership team of ASU’s Urban Climate Research Center.

  • Materials matter

    Materials matter

    Deeper knowledge about materials is critical to making advances in technology. ASU researchers are pursuing that knowledge at the university’s Navrotsky Eyring Center for Materials of the Universe, named for Alexandra Navrotsky, a Fulton Schools professor and an accomplished researcher in materials and related areas of science and engineering. ASU leaders, students and faculty members gathered at the new center recently to celebrate its opening and see work already underway at the facility. The photo shows Associate Research Professor Sergey Ushakov demonstrating operation of a laser machine during a tour of the facility. ASU President Michael Crow said the center’s work will contribute to a better understanding of the universe and the forces that shape it.

  • Forget Silicon. This Computer Is Made of Fabric

    Forget Silicon. This Computer Is Made of Fabric

    Without the use of batteries or microchips, a new type of computer can enable a jacket to raise and lower its own hood, and might eventually enable disabled wearers to move. Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Wenlong Zhang, a mechanical engineer whose research interests include the design, modeling and control of cyber-physical systems — with applications in healthcare, robotics and manufacturing — foresees myriad possibilities for soft robotics technologies being used to develop these kinds of wearable computer systems. The soft robots should be able to integrate easily and safely  into normal human activity, Zhang says, although he thinks it could take as long as a decade to clear the hurdles to make them widely available to the public.

  • Overcoming Challenges in Horizontal Directional Drilling

    Overcoming Challenges in Horizontal Directional Drilling

    The underground construction method known as horizontal directional drilling, or HDD, has enabled the underground installation of critical public infrastructure for more the 50 years, and the use of the technique continues to expand, says Fulton Schools Professor Samuel Ariaratnam. One of the foremost experts on HDD, Ariaratnam see its benefits multiplying, especially in its uses for infrastructure systems in urban environments. HDD allows for infrastructure to cross roads, river, lakes and neighborhoods with little disruption to the surrounding areas. It also works well for installation of water, sewer, oil, electric, natural gas, cable and telecommunications lines. Still, there are challenges to overcome in successfully using HDD, Ariaratnman emphasizes. Doing it right requires meticulous planning, well-honed skills and extensive understanding of geological and soil conditions, plus the use of the right tools for various situations.

  • ASU named No. 1 in innovation for eighth straight year

    ASU named No. 1 in innovation for eighth straight year

    ASU’s engineering, business and nursing programs are highlighted in the US News & World Report’s annual ranking of the best and most innovative colleges. Ranked 33rd overall in the Best Undergraduate Engineering program — tied with Yale University and the University of Notre Dame —ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering has six undergraduate degree programs ranked in the top 25, including civil engineering, electrical engineering, cybersecurity), environmental engineering, computer engineering and mechanical engineering. Rankings are based on what institutions of higher education are determined to be making the most innovative improvements toward curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology and facilities.

  • How are You Dressing for a Warming Climate?

    How are You Dressing for a Warming Climate?

    Fulton Schools Associate Professor and ASU Global Futures Scientist Konrad Rykaczewski’s research focuses on the development of soft thermal materials and systems, and on the study of human thermal exposure in extreme heat. He was among three experts interviewed about human adaptation to extreme heat, and why it’s complicated by our warming climate — as well as by certain social and cultural factors. He’s joined by The New York Times climate adaptation reporter, and by the author of the book “The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration.”

  • ASU awarded lead of new National Science Foundation I-Corps Hub

    ASU awarded lead of new National Science Foundation I-Corps Hub

    An expansion of the National Innovation Network aimed at accelerating the movement of new ideas from research labs into the marketplace includes a leading role for ASU — and for two Fulton Schools faculty members as well. ASU has been chosen to be one of the leaders of a hub that is among five additions to the National Science Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Hubs, which will spearhead the Innovation Network’s expansion endeavor. Professor Ann McKenna, the Fulton Schools’ vice dean of strategic advancement, will take roles as a co-principal investigator and the research and evaluation lead for venture, while Fulton Schools Associate Professor Zachary Holman will be a co-principal investigator and faculty lead.

  • Direct air capture: A little history

    Direct air capture: A little history

    Fulton Schools Professor, Klaus Lackner, director of ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, is a pioneer of modern carbon capture technology, seen as one of the most effective ways to reduce harmful accumulations of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere. He first developed his ideas more than two decades ago. But the notion of air capture has a longer history. In the ancient world, Egyptians and Phoenicians used activated carbon or charcoal to absorb unpleasant odors, purify water, and treat medical ailments. Centuries later, scientists designed tools to heat and cool captured air. The big challenge today is for researchers such as Lackner to scale up air capture to massive proportions so that it can alleviate global warming.

  • ASU ranks 8th among worldwide universities granted US utility patents in 2021

    ASU ranks 8th among worldwide universities granted US utility patents in 2021

    ASU has recently risen three places in the rankings of universities worldwide granted U.S. utility patents for new inventions and technology advancements. That is thanks in part to progress made through research led by Fulton Schools Professor Michael Kozicki and Associate Professor Zachary Holman. Kozicki has invented dendritic identifier technology, which provides secure, unique physical identifiers to ensure product authenticity and to foster trust and transparency in product supply chains. Holman’s has developed the flagship product for the ASU spinout venture Swift Coat, a self-cleaning coating that keeps solar panels producing optimal amounts of energy. Both products have gotten into the market through Skysong Innovations, ASU’s technology transfer and intellectual property management organization.

  • Mississippi Crisis Highlights Climate Threat to Drinking Water Nationwide

    Mississippi Crisis Highlights Climate Threat to Drinking Water Nationwide

    With aging infrastructure and a lack of investment, the impacts of climate change — flash floods, hurricanes and wildfires, for example — pose a growing threat to vital public resources. A massive flood that put a water plant in Mississippi out of operation is an example of looming challenges. The climate is changing too fast and in too dramatic a fashion, says Mikhail Chester, a Fulton Schools professor civil, environmental and sustainable engineering and of director of ASU’s Metis Center for Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering. The result is that an increasing number of regions in the U.S. are dealing with climate pressures that could erode the quality of life.

August

2022
  • US policymakers tour ASU’s MacroTechnology Works facility

    US policymakers tour ASU’s MacroTechnology Works facility

    Research aimed at supporting efforts to make Arizona a microchip manufacturing hub was the central focus of a recent visit by U.S. and Arizona government leaders to the MacroTechnology Works facility at the ASU Research Park. Zachary Holman, a Fulton Schools associate professor of electrical, computer and energy engineering, led U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, ASU President Michael Crow, U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton and other officials on a tour of the research complex. The group was also joined by Arizona business and industry leaders and local government officials. Holman’s research at MachoTechnology Works involves accelerating progress toward advanced semiconductors, materials and energy devices.

  • Ready or not, mass video deepfakes are coming

    Ready or not, mass video deepfakes are coming

    With AI and facial-mapping technology enabling almost anyone to produce deepfake videos, experts are uneasy about the potential ramifications. There are plans to commercialize video deepfakes for the planned metaverse, using technology that can produce fake videos showing people saying and do things they never did in real life. Experts are concerned about disinformation peddlers having better tools to alter or create video images and audio. Fulton Schools Professor Subbarao Kambhampati, an AI expert, agrees the development of the technology may not be a cause for celebration. Kamphampati, who has studied deep fakes, foresees people mistrusting anything they see, creating a need for advances systems of video authentication.

  • From ancient minerals to new materials: Melting temperature prediction using a graph neural network model

    From ancient minerals to new materials: Melting temperature prediction using a graph neural network model

    To build the high performance materials needed today, it’s critical to know the precise melting temperatures of various materials. The safety of bridges, jet engines and heat shields for aircraft, for example, depends on knowing the performance limits of materials under environmental stresses.  Now, ASU researchers working with a Brown University researcher have found a way to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict the melting temperatures for potentially any compound or chemical formula. The team includes Assistant Professor Qi-Jun Hong and Professor Alexandra Navrotsky, both in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, one of the seven Fulton Schools at ASU. The article is also published in TechCodex, PNAS, Verve Times, Knowledia, Supercomputing Online News, My Droll, Lab Manager, Space Daily and Verified News Explorer Network

  • ASU’s Luminosity Lab secures $15 million donation from tech CEO

    ASU’s Luminosity Lab secures $15 million donation from tech CEO

    A large donation from the CEO of Workiva, which has an office in ASU’s SkySong innovation center, will enable the Fulton Schools’ Luminosity Lab to give ASU engineering students more opportunities to engage in research projects aimed at aiding the pursuit of creative solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges. Students are expected to use the support to explore ways to address society’s urgent issues in education, healthcare and sustainability. With the additional support, Luminosity Lab projects will also be able to expand their research and development partnerships with companies and organizations around the world. Students are chosen to participate based on their demonstrated leadership and advocacy for their communities.

  • Yuma company working to perfect complicated process of recycling solar panels

    Yuma company working to perfect complicated process of recycling solar panels

    Companies like We Recycle Solar in Arizona are part of a growing trend in recycling and repurposing of solar energy technologies that have surpassed their useful lifespans. The company is refurbishing salvageable solar photovoltaic panels and breaking them down to recover aluminum, granular glass and other materials that can be reused. Meanwhile, researchers like Meng Tao, a Fulton Schools professor of electrical, computer and energy engineering, are perfecting processes for recycling all the various kinds of materials that are part of solar panels. Natalie Click, a materials science and engineering doctoral student working with Tao is improving the recovery of lead from solar panels so it can be used in other products.

  • International student looks forward to connections, opportunities at ASU

    International student looks forward to connections, opportunities at ASU

    Bisman Sahni’s interest in computer coding began during his childhood. While still a young student in India, his homeland, he started troubleshooting problems in coding and computer software. By high school he had his eyes on a career in computer security. In pursuit of his goal, Sahni (at far left in photo) is now a first-year student in ASU’s Barrett Honors College and a computer science major in the Fulton Schools. Sahni says he was drawn by ASU’s strong reputation in engineering education, the research opportunities available to Fulton Schools students and the Grand Challenges Scholars Program, which is designed to equip students with skills to solve some of the world’s biggest engineering challenges.

  • Desert City Dream

    Desert City Dream

    Designs are on the drawing boards for multiple sustainable cities, especially in desert regions. The United Arab Emirates has plans for three of them, with the goal of completing them within a decade. Meanwhile, a billionaire and a world-renowned architect are teaming up to build an “all-green, all-smart city” somewhere in the U.S. Southwest over coming decades — possibly in Arizona. The efforts will face many challenges, says Zhihua Wang, a Fulton Schools associate professor and expert in urban environmental sustainability. In desert regions, securing adequate water resources will be the biggest hurdle, he says. But even if such ventures don’t come to full fruition, Wangs says much can be learned from them.

  • Former Sun Devil wide receiver ready for a career in medicine

    Former Sun Devil wide receiver ready for a career in medicine

    Kyle Williams was a standout receiver for ASU’s Sun Devils football squad, one of the team’s all-time pass reception leaders who many thought would find a place in the National Football League. But he was also an outstanding graduate of the Fulton Schools biomedical engineering program who had an eye on a medical career. While a sports agent was ready to contact NFL teams to gauge their interest in giving Williams a tryout, Williams decided to pursue his aspiration to become a surgeon. Today he is a student at the Mayo Clinic Axis School of Medicine — applying the same determination to his goals as a future physician that he used to become a successful college athlete.

  • Get to Know Engineer Sathish Kumar: Contributions in A.I. and Visual Computing Innovation within the U.S. Property Insurance Industry

    Get to Know Engineer Sathish Kumar: Contributions in A.I. and Visual Computing Innovation within the U.S. Property Insurance Industry

    Sathish Kumar Katukuri , who earned a master’s degree in computer engineering from the Fulton Schools, is using his skills for Hosta a.i. to develop computer vision and artificial intelligence, or AI, algorithms to improve property assessments. His contributions have helped the company automate the manual property assessment process in a way that is changing how property assessments are performed throughout the U.S. In previous work, Katukuri has developed a novel AI-based algorithm to enable people to capture professional-quality photographs and a low-cost DIY Augmented Reality headset to help researchers validate their findings and progress.

  • Heat waves aren’t going away. Here’s how we can prepare

    Heat waves aren’t going away. Here’s how we can prepare

    About all those recording setting heatwaves being seen across the United States and Europe this simmer — climate experts expect the sizzling temperatures to rise even higher in the near future. Protecting people from extreme heat is now seen as a critical challenge for those in various science and engineering fields with knowledge and skills in heat mitigation methods and technologies. That specialty is a focus of work at the SHaDE Lab, an ASU urban climate research group directed by Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Ariane Middel. The lab’s urban climate researchers are engaged in multiple efforts to help cities find ways to reduce the impacts of hotter environments on people.

  • The secrets in our sewers helping protect us from infectious diseases

    The secrets in our sewers helping protect us from infectious diseases

    Wastewater epidemiology is gaining widespread interest around the world for its usefulness in efforts to help detect public health threats. Rolf Halden, a Fulton Schools professor and environmental engineer, has been among the leading researchers examining wastewater to yield data that is helping to track the spread of diseases — especially since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic. Halden thinks of cities and other high-population areas as big organisms with distinct metabolisms, that can be analyzed by examining the contents of sewage systems. Advances in monitoring wastewater could keep communities a step ahead of potential outbreaks of diseases, he says, and reveal information to warn the public about lurking environmental dangers. (Access to the full content of New Scientist magazine is available only to subscribers.)

    See Also: A new way to smash the ‘forever’ out of ‘forever chemicals’ The Verge, August 18
    Fulton Schools Professor Rolf Halden is among scientists and engineers who are amassing an arsenal of tools to fight off “forever chemicals” that are threatening the environment and human health.

  • How Arizona can advance innovation, access in digital learning

    How Arizona can advance innovation, access in digital learning

    U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (at far right in photo) was joined by Kyle Squires (at far left), vice provost and dean of the Fulton Schools, at a recent gathering of members of ASU’s leadership, government representatives and other business and community leaders to explore the rise of digital learning and its potential impacts on the future of higher education, government, industry and society in general. Participants discussed ways that digital learning could help provide a more skilled workforce, enable ASU and other schools to more extensively prepare its students to contribute to societal progress and catalyze partnerships to pursue progress in efforts to aid underserved segments of society.

  • DARPA Moves Forward With Project To Revolutionize Satellite Communication

    DARPA Moves Forward With Project To Revolutionize Satellite Communication

    Significant advances in communications between low orbiting satellites are expected from a new research endeavor led by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The goal is to create an “internet” of low-Earth orbit satellites, enabling seamless communications between military, government, commercial and civilian satellites. The project could have a broad impact that would eventually benefit many social and commercial ventures, says Fulton Schools Professor Daniel Bliss, director of ASU’s Center for Wireless Information Systems and Computational Architectures. Bliss thinks this can be accomplished in ways that maximize the abilities of advanced technologies while still minimizing the security risks to space communications systems.

    See Also The Pentagon wants to develop a network of space lasers to improve secure communications, Fast Company, August 23
    Fulton Schools Professor Professor Daniel Bliss is involved in some of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency research described in the article. See the reference to Arizona State University.

  • We built a fake metropolis to show how extreme heat could wreck cities

    We built a fake metropolis to show how extreme heat could wreck cities

    Much of the world’s infrastructure — its architecture, energy and transportation systems and other vital elements of the built environment — has been designed to withstand climate conditions of the past, but not the dramatic climate changes occurring today. That is especially the case in regard to the significant rise in heat around much of the world. Mikhail Chester, a Fulton Schools professor of civil, environmental and sustainable engineering, warns about the serious challenges to keep coal, nuclear, electric and natural gas power plants operating smoothly in extreme heat conditions. When temperatures soar on a regular basis, “Everything just breaks more frequently,” Chester says.

  • ASU project to give satellites a shared, optical language

    ASU project to give satellites a shared, optical language

    One of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration’s biggest new projects will enable low orbiting satellites to communicate with each other and with ground operations. The goal is to provide a low-cost, high-speed, optical data links that will improve satellite communications for the military, government, corporate and private sectors. Funding for the project’s first phase has been awarded to ASU’s Center for Wireless Information Systems and Computational Architectures, directed by Fulton Schools Professor Daniel Bliss, who is the lead investigator for the project. His work on the Space-Based Adaptive Communications Node initiative project with researchers at three other universities and two technology companies is expected to produce significant advances in space communications and transportation technologies.

  • What is a semiconductor? An electrical engineer explains how these critical electronic components work and how they are made

    What is a semiconductor? An electrical engineer explains how these critical electronic components work and how they are made

    Fulton Schools Professor Trevor Thornton, an electrical engineer who studies semiconductors, provides basic information on what they are, how they are made, what they do and how they are evolving. He gives details on how these electronic devices process, store and receive information and how they work together under the control of computer software. Then he goes on to explain that increasingly sophisticated factories are needed to produce today’s higher performance semiconductor chips — and why the Congress has passed legislation designed to help ensure that next-generation semiconductors start to be manufactured in the United States.

  • ASU poised to help close microchip manufacturing gap

    ASU poised to help close microchip manufacturing gap

    Recent approval by the U.S. Congress of the CHIPS and Science Act sets the stage for major investments to boost semiconductor manufacturing throughout the country. Research leaders at ASU have long been preparing for the opportunity to help expand the country’s role in the international semiconductor chip making market. Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools, emphasizes that ASU has hired experts in the field, focused on semiconductor research and made its own investments to obtain the tools and develop the systems necessary to advance chip manufacturing in areas directly relevant to the goals of the CHIPS Act.

  • What Is Titanium Dioxide — And Do You Really Have to Worry About It in Your Food?

    What Is Titanium Dioxide — And Do You Really Have to Worry About It in Your Food?

    Although titanium dioxide has been banned from being added to food by the European Union, scientists and engineers in the United States don’t see such use of this naturally occurring oxide of the chemical element titanium as a cause for concern. As a legal additive in the U.S., titanium dioxide is used in everything from food to consumer goods. Fulton Schools Professor Paul Westerhoff, an environmental engineer, who has researched the biological and cellular effects of titanium dioxide, points to the many studies showing no adverse effects. He says consumers should be more concerned about substitutes for titanium dioxide being used in many products that have not undergone research on their effects on people.

  • The ethical and privacy concerns over deep fakes and AI and our democracy

    The ethical and privacy concerns over deep fakes and AI and our democracy

    Ever-evolving technological capabilities are expanding the threats posed by cybercriminals using manufactured images called deep fakes and the surreptitious uses of artificial intelligence that can threaten public security, individual privacy and even democracy. Fulton Schools Professor Subarrao Kambhampati, a former president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, talks about the widespread and dangerous implications of falling prey to the high-tech manipulations of nefarious forces behind these unethical and criminal practices.

  • The Robocalls Problem Is So Bad That the FCC Actually Did Something

    The Robocalls Problem Is So Bad That the FCC Actually Did Something

    There are billions of robocalls that are part of scams aimed at defrauding consumers — while others are using to them to sell actual products but still using an illegal marketing campaign to get consumers to buy products. Fulton Schools Associate Professor Adam Doupé, director of ASU’s Center for Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics and a cybersecurity expert, dissects the the problem and how it might be substantially diminished. While sophisticated robocall technology makes it easy for scammers to fool people about who is calling them, there are also effective techniques that can reveal who is actually calling and help people become aware of potential fraud, Doupé says. In addition, the Federal Communications Commission is becoming more proactive in trying to prevent robocall scams.

  • Engineering and Infrastructure In A Collapsing Climate

    Engineering and Infrastructure In A Collapsing Climate

    Roads, energy systems and other infrastructure on which society depends for many of its needs is increasingly being endangered by the growing impacts of rapid and often threatening changes in the planet’s climate. Mikhail Chester , a Fulton Schools professor civil, environmental and sustainable engineering, says it has become critical to start redesigning and rebuilding public facilities to withstand the severe stresses being put on the them. But our basic approaches to building must also change in response to a new environmental reality. Chester says it may now be preferable in some circumstances to build infrastructure that fails — but fails in ways that will make the destruction less deadly than the more potentially catastrophic failure of existing structures impacted by climate change.

  • These cities are better at enduring extreme heat. Here’s what they’re doing different

    These cities are better at enduring extreme heat. Here’s what they’re doing different

    Climate change is turning up the heat faster and more intensely. Many countries are experiencing higher numbers of heat alert days and more record-breaking summer temperatures. Most of the impact is in cities, where buildings, streets and other parts of urban environments generate extra heat. But some cities are taking steps to reduce rising temperatures. They are cultivating urban forests to provide shade, installing water features to cool the air and redesigning buildings in ways that shield people from heat. Another remedy — developed by Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Ariane Middel, an urban climatologist, and her colleagues — are new solar reflective road pavements that keep asphalt and other street surfaces from reflecting much of the heat of the sun.

    See Also: Does gravel landscape negatively impact the urban heat island effect in Arizona? KJZZ News (PBS) , August 7
    Ariane Middel talks about the comparative cooling effects — or lack of them — among common landscaping surface materials.

  • The 5 Best Online Degree Schools To Consider For a Career in Cybersecurity

    The 5 Best Online Degree Schools To Consider For a Career in Cybersecurity

    While job openings in cybersecurity are expected to keep increasing at a steady pace, employers are also requiring potential employees to have an expanding array of the necessary skills. ASU is among the leading institutions of higher education offering a full range of extensive instruction in cybersecurity and related science, engineering and technology fields, both on campus and online. The Fulton Schools offer a computer engineering degree with a cybersecurity specialization and an electrical engineering degree with a focus on embedded systems and cyber-physical systems. There are also individual courses on network defense, cyber intelligence, and computer systems networking and security.

  • Stories from the Most Innovative School in the US

    Stories from the Most Innovative School in the US

    Three Fulton Schools faculty members are featured in this look at successful approaches to research leadership that produces innovation and fosters creativity. Associate professor of chemical engineering and Fulton Entrepreneurial Professor Mary Laura Lind is lauded for work for ASU’s Biodesign Center for Bioelectronics and Biosensors, the Mayo Clinic and the multi-university center for Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment. Professor Ed Kavazanjian is cited for his internationally recognized work on landfills, solid waste and geotechnical earthquake engineering, including his lead authorship of the Federal Highway Administration’s guidance document for seismic analysis, geotechnical transportation facilities and structural foundations. Professor Edd Gibson has proven his research leadership skills in collaborations with the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

July

2022
  • Large language models can’t plan, even if they write fancy essays

    Large language models can’t plan, even if they write fancy essays

    For all of the expanding capabilities of artificial intelligence, or AI, technologies, some aspects of their applications fall short of impressive advances. Fulton Schools Professor Subbarao Kambhampati explains how large language models that seem to be talented at writing essays are nonetheless underperformers in work that requires high-level methodical planning and are capable of only the illusion of substantive reasoning abilities. Kambhampati, a former president of the international Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, digs beneath the seemingly robust abilities of these emerging AI systems and finds the hype about their effectiveness isn’t backed up by what they are actually achieving. He suggests the use of a stringent benchmark for determining the true value of certain AI tools.

  • ASU researchers to address local air-quality concerns

    ASU researchers to address local air-quality concerns

    Growing accumulations of airborne dust and microorganisms, and the atmosphere’s thickening ozone layer are raising worries about their threat to human health in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Matt Frasier, a Fulton Schools professor and researcher in ASU’s Urban Climate Research Center will work with a colleague in the university’s School of Molecular Sciences on a deep study of those sources of air pollution with the aim of diminishing their impact and providing the region’s population with cleaner air to breathe. They’ll join Northern Arizona University and University of Arizona researchers, and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to study the airborne pollutants that can cause respiratory and other health problems. Herckes will employ his expertise in environmental chemical analysis. Fraser’s expertise includes urban air quality, sources and control of air pollution and atmospheric monitoring instrumentation.

    See Also: ASU researchers to study and improve the air we breathe, 3TV/CBS 5 New-Phoenix

  • Efficient ‘Tree’ Pulls Carbon From Thin Air

    Efficient ‘Tree’ Pulls Carbon From Thin Air

    The MechanicalTree — made possible by years of research and development led by Fulton Schools Professor Klaus Lackner and his team of engineers and scientists in ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions — is the primary technology being developed as the centerpiece of the carbon farms that the entrepreneurial Carbon Collect venture wants to place next to manufacturing and industrial plants to consume the carbon emissions coming from these operations. The plan is to mass produce the trees to enable extraction of hundreds of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The goal is to help clean the air of harmful pollutants and instead use the captured carbon to feed micro algae that can be used to produce fuels and other valuable products.

  • State leaders say Arizona will emerge as a leading science and technology center thanks to Chips bill

    State leaders say Arizona will emerge as a leading science and technology center thanks to Chips bill

    The new School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, one of the seven Fulton Schools, is poised to play a major role in realizing the goals of the New Economy Initiative. Under the initiative plan, ASU is planning to establish three science and technology centers to work with industry to advance the state’s semiconductor sector. Drawing on research talent in the Fulton Schools, ASU President Michael Crow says the university will not only aid Arizona’s emergence as a leader in the manufacturing, design and development of advanced microchips, but also expand research efforts aimed at producing manufacturing systems innovations. (The full content of the Phoenix Business Journal is available only to subscribers.)

  • Partnership for Economic Innovation Secures Funding for Wearable Technology Research

    Partnership for Economic Innovation Secures Funding for Wearable Technology Research

    As a key partner with the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, the Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation, Startup AZ Foundation, and the city of Phoenix, the Fulton Schools is expanding a promising wearable technology biomedical ecosystem in Arizona. The WearTech Applied Research Center has been developing paths to commercialization for wearable technologies to help people with walking disabilities, develop a fetal monitor to detect compromising health issues and create a wearable phototherapy device for treatment for thrush, a debilitating fungal yeast infection. Such success has helped to attract sufficient funding to enable the center to more than double it research projects in recent years.

  • ASU scientists find molecular clues behind traumatic brain injury

    ASU scientists find molecular clues behind traumatic brain injury

    Fulton Schools Associate Professor Sarah Stabenfeldt has led a new research study by ASU scientist and biomedical engineers that is revealing some of the first detailed molecular clues of traumatic brain injury, or TBI, one of the leading causes of death and disability such as long-term cognitive and behavioral deficits. It’s a growing public health concern, affecting more than 1.7 million Americans, including many children and young adults.  The research may begin to explain why people who have had a TBI are more susceptible to developing neurodegenerative diseases and could provide a foundation for the next generation of TBI therapeutics and diagnostics. The article is also published on AZ BIO, the Arizona Bioindustry Association website.

  • The Slow Bake of Our Infrastructure

    The Slow Bake of Our Infrastructure

    Continuing to build infrastructure using designs of past decades is a recipe for failure, writes Mikhail Chester, a Fulton Schools professor of civil, environmental and sustainable engineering and director of ASU’s Metis Center for Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering. We are now in an era of rapid climate change in which heat waves are no longer few and far between, he says, and without more heat-resilient infrastructure our energy, transportation, water and cooling systems, as well as public health, will be at high risk. As more places around the world see frequent record-breaking high temperatures, Chester says it’s time to not only accelerate efforts to begin developing heat-resistant infrastructure but to also develop strategies to deal with the inevitable failure of today’s infrastructure systems in the wake of continuing climate change.

  • It’s so hot in Europe that roads are literally buckling

    It’s so hot in Europe that roads are literally buckling

    Recent record-breaking heat waves are revealing a troubling reality that few places in Europe are built to withstand the heat that climate change is causing. Roads are buckling and railroad tracks are bending under the abnormally high temperatures. Climate scientists are warning of a potentially increasing threat to the lives of people and animals. Fulton Schools Professor Mikhail Chester, director of ASU’s Metis Center for Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering, said countries must get more serious about making changes that reduce the stifling impacts of urban heat islands and find other solutions that will help cities become more resilient against increasingly sizzling environments.

    See Also: Heatwave: Can we redesign cities to cope with extreme temperatures? Mikhail Chester interviewed on BBC Newsday “Sounds” program

  • ASU entrepreneurs develop smart street cameras

    ASU entrepreneurs develop smart street cameras

    Traffic cameras powered by artificial intelligence technology are being seen as way to make roads safer and traffic flow more efficient. Researchers Mohammad Farhadi and Yezhou Yang in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, one of the seven Fulton Schools, have created a self-contained, solar-powered traffic camera that uses on-board computer vision, a type of artificial intelligence, to identify and classify what it sees. By refining these technologies they hope to fashion a system that helps to prevent traffic accidents, and reduces traffic congestion and travel times. In partnership with the city of Phoenix Street Transportation Department, the cameras will be installed at two busy downtown intersections for a one-year pilot program. The article was also published on the City of Phoenix news website, in the Business Telegraph (United Kingdom) and by AZ Big Media.

  • Q&A: ASU, industry partners collaborate to create factories of the future

    Q&A: ASU, industry partners collaborate to create factories of the future

    Arizona’s New Economy Initiative, a plan to grow and develop the high-tech industry through the state, will be aided by work at each of the state’s three public universities. ASU already has plans to build five new science and technology centers as part of the effort. Dhruv Bhate, an associate professor in the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, the newest of the seven Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU, talks about plans for the university’s new Advanced Manufacturing Science and Technology Center and its role in support of the New Economy initiative, which will include building working relationships with industry to help foster innovation and create the high-tech jobs of the future.

  • Getting off the bus: CATS has plans to bring riders back after massive drop. Will it work?

    Getting off the bus: CATS has plans to bring riders back after massive drop. Will it work?

    Challenges facing Charlotte, North Carolina in efforts to boost ridership on its bus service reflect similar circumstances in other urban areas in the country. The city wants to see people riding buses more and driving automobiles less to help protect the environment by reducing carbon emissions. But Fulton Schools Research Professor Steven Polzin, a civil engineer who worked for the U.S. Department of Transportation, says adding more bus routes and more frequent service have not been shown to be sure-fire ways of increasing ridership. Still, the city hopes to fund a new light-rail line along with more bus service and build a bus fleet that would run on electric power rather than diesel fuel. See related story: Getting off the bus: How Charlotte Transit lost 75% of its passengers in less than a decade

  • 2 ASU experts join climate change national security panel

    2 ASU experts join climate change national security panel

    Experts are forecasting increasing drought and crop failure around the world in coming decades, prompting the organizing of a new national Climate Security Roundtable to assess and address those risks and advise the nation’s Climate Security Advisory Council. Among experts chosen for the roundtable is Nadya Bliss, a professor of practice in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, one of the seven Fulton Schools, and director of ASU’s Global Security Initiative. She will be joined by Vernon Morris, director of ASU’s School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, a former director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Center for Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology.

  • Solar Panel Recycling Is About To Become BIG Business

    Solar Panel Recycling Is About To Become BIG Business

    Solar energy panels installed 20 or more years ago are coming to the end of their productive lifespans and need to be replaced. Fortunately, progress is being made in the recycling of solar panel materials. One independent international energy research company predicts demand for recycled solar photovoltaic panel components will skyrocket and forecasts that those recyclable materials will be worth $2.7 billion. Fulton Schools Professor Meng Tao, whose expertise includes terawatt-scale solar photovoltaics, is among researchers working to ensure recycling of solar panel materials can be achieved in ways that minimize negative environmental impacts, reduce waste and avoid high costs and the need for using large amounts of energy in recycling processes.

  • How to block hackers from stealing your passwords

    How to block hackers from stealing your passwords

    The importance of creating a strong line of defense against hackers attempting to obtain passwords has never been more critical. Experts like Fulton Schools Associate Professor Adam Doupé, director of ASU’s Center for Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics, warn that control over personal email, social media accounts and online banking can be threatened without passwords that are carefully crafted to prevent cybertheft. Password management systems are designed to help users maintain password security. The expense of such systems and the efforts to keep passwords from being stolen are preferable to having to recover hacked accounts, Doupé says.

  • Scottsdale medical technology company Aural Analytics lands $1.4M grant

    Scottsdale medical technology company Aural Analytics lands $1.4M grant

    ASU Associate Professor Visar Berisha, who has a joint appointment in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, one of the seven Fulton Schools, is a co-founder the Aural Analytics company, and helped build sound technology that taps into the physics of speech signals. That technology has now led to Aural Analytics being awarded a $1.4 million National Institutes of Health grant to help develop a new analytics tool for clinical speech language pathologists. The technology promises to provide more accurate measurements to help specialists identify neurological health problems, including disease and injuries, before other symptoms arise. Berisha’s research focuses on developing and applying new machine learning and statistical signal processing tools to better understand and model signal perception.

  • Rags to riches? How trash at landfills can be recycled into energy as flammable gas

    Rags to riches? How trash at landfills can be recycled into energy as flammable gas

    Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane that absorb energy from sunlight and trap in the atmosphere — causing environmental problems — are continuing to accumulate. A lot of those gases are emanating from waste materials people produce. New findings show the damage being caused is increasing. But a solution to reversing the trend may come from recycling efforts to turn trash into treasure. Fulton Schools Professor Bruce Rittmann, director of ASU’s Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, sees potential in a plan to capture greenhouse gases to put them to productive use. But Rittmann cautions that there will be challenges. While the concept of such carbon capture and reuse is a simple one, the execution of such an operation can encounter complications, he says. (Access to the full content of the Arizona Republic is available only to subscribers.)

  • ASU’s SolarSPELL digital libraries help teachers in Ethiopian refugee camps

    ASU’s SolarSPELL digital libraries help teachers in Ethiopian refugee camps

    Teachers in many of the world’s refugee camps are facing a lack of training and resources, the threat of displacement and a global pandemic. The work of Associate Professor Laura Hosman,  an affiliate faculty member in The Polytechnic School, one the seven Fulton Schools, is making such challenges a bit easier to overcome. Through an ASU Education for Humanity project, her SolarSPELL devices are helping teachers in refugee camps in Ethiopia conduct classes in their native language. The device is a solar-powered portable library providing educational content developed by Hosman, whose work focuses on information and communications technology for developing countries. The SolarSPELL project began in 2015, when Hosman challenged ASU engineering students to create a solar-powered library small enough to fit into a backpack.

  • Eco-Friendly Homes

    Eco-Friendly Homes

    Providing affordable, efficient and sustainable homes is a particularly big challenge in the country’s current economic situation. Supply chain issues and rising property costs and materials prices are among the big hurdles to home building and ownership. But some builders, construction experts and researchers are making strides in overcoming the obstacles.  Innovations like foam building materials and 3-D printed construction blocks are being developed, among other similar products. Narayanan Neithalath, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of the seven Fulton Schools, says there are promising advances in his research areas, including sustainable construction materials, innovative materials processing technologies, and novel designs of new building infrastructure materials that can help manage construction costs.

  • ASU engineering graduates create toy hack website

    ASU engineering graduates create toy hack website

    Two recent ASU graduates who earned their mechanical systems engineering degrees through the Fulton Schools put their skills in robotics to productive use in a recent toy hack. Isabella Bushroe and Bridget Koehl made the most of the opportunity at the Makers Making Change event at the Arizona Science Center. They contributed their engineering knowledge to modifying toys to make them suitable for children with physical challenges and other impediments to overcome. Bushroe and Koehl had developed and hosted two toy hacks as undergraduates and even made toy hacking the focus of their honors thesis project for ASU’s Barrett, the Honors College. They used their experience as the basis for a website about hosting toy hack events.

  • Top 10 US colleges offering a Master’s in Sustainability

    Top 10 US colleges offering a Master’s in Sustainability

    ASU is among the top three universities in the U.S. — joining Harvard and Tufts universities — in this ranking of master’s degree programs in sustainability. ASU is highlighted for the Fulton Schools Master of Science in Sustainable Engineering program. The multidisciplinary program designed for professionals and graduate-level students with engineering and physical science backgrounds offers courses in energy systems, water, transportation or earth systems engineering, industrial ecology, environmental technologies, sustainable technology systems and more. Sustainability education is also integrated into other Fulton Schools and ASU graduate programs in science, engineering, resource management, community development, public policy and more.

  • One of the best tools for predicting COVID-19 outbreaks? Sewage.

    One of the best tools for predicting COVID-19 outbreaks? Sewage.

    Since the COVID-19 pandemic began more than two years ago, testing of untreated wastewater has been used to detect and track pandemic outbreaks. Medical providers and health agencies have been relying on the testing to guide decisions to ramp up detection efforts, vaccination programs and other efforts to respond to the public health threat.  Pioneers of the advanced wastewater monitoring include Fulton Schools Professor Rolf Halden (pictured) and his research team at ASU’s Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering. Before the pandemic, Halden and the team used the testing to tract opioid use in the community and later identified a COVID-19 hotspot in the area to help guide a response from community health care workers.

June

2022
  • Humanity on wheels

    Humanity on wheels

    “Jenny’s Trailer,” a yellow 20-foot-long travel trailer with the invitation to “Come Cool Down With Us” near its door, can be seen at parks and other locations in Tempe this summer. It’s part the city’s collaborative project with Arizona State University called HOPE — Homeless Outreach Prevention Effort — that is working to give the local homeless population some respite from the heat during this season of 100-degree-plus temperatures. The project enlisted the help of ASU’s Healthy Urban Environment Initiative, which then recruited a team from the Fulton Schools Engineering Projects in Community Service program to do work on the interior design elements of the heat-relief trailer.

  • EU rules device chargers must use USB-C by 2026. What it means for U.S. consumers

    EU rules device chargers must use USB-C by 2026. What it means for U.S. consumers

    A European Union ruling means manufacturers like Apple and Samsung must standardize ports on chargers for their electronic devices in the next few years. The same USB-C connector will need to be used for all charging cables for phone, laptop and earbud chargers. The change is certain to impact U.S. consumers. Uniformity of connectors will offer advantages but likely also cause confusion for consumers, says Fulton Schools Associate Professor Ted Pavlic. Standardized connectors could result in chargers working better for some devices than for others, and the change is likely to create more electronics waste as people dispose of old charging cables, says Pavlic, whose expertise includes electrical and computer engineering. (Photo: Pixabay)

  • Chip companies are scrambling to hire college students dazzled by software dollars

    Chip companies are scrambling to hire college students dazzled by software dollars

    Startup microchip fabrication plants need tens of thousands of new skilled workers, challenging companies to convince college graduates to resist the attraction of working for big international tech companies that have been scooping up many U.S. students and graduates. Isaiah Morris, a Fulton Schools chemical engineering grad student, is an example of the young workers startup companies must lure to realize their plans for future expansion and to help the U.S. reduce dependency on tech operations in other countries. Michael Kozicki, a Fulton Schools professor of electrical engineering and teacher for more than three decades, gives his perspective on current job market trends and what is drawing students and graduates to specific high-tech opportunities.

  • ASU Gives Us Deeper Look Into Solar Car Competitions

    ASU Gives Us Deeper Look Into Solar Car Competitions

    ASU’s Sun Devil racing team is preparing to take its vehicle to the 2023 American Solar Challenge national competition. Team members are applying what they’ve been learning in their courses about automotive engineering, structural mechanics, aerodynamics, fluid dynamics, computer-aided design and modeling, prototyping, testing simulations, solar-powered battery systems circuitry and more. The team’s captain, Fulton Schools mechanical engineering graduate student Ayman Hangalay, credits the Fulton Schools curriculum for providing the fundamentals in many areas of engineering and technology that students have been drawing on to build their solar-powered vehicle. Read more: A solar-powered learning experience

  • New probes gather real-time algae information in CAP canals

    New probes gather real-time algae information in CAP canals

    Probes powered by solar energy and connected to a computer terminal that sends out data like a cell phone are being used to monitor conditions in the Central Arizona Project canal system. The probes can detect changes in algae in the system’s water sources, says Taylor Weiss, a Fulton Schools assistant professor and researcher with the Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation. Through a partnership with an environmental and industrial analytical technologies company, Weiss and his team are testing water in more than 300 miles of the canal system. The sensor system will alert researchers to emerging algae problems that could threaten the quality of the water that serves a large population of users — including many Arizona farmers. The article is also published in the Casa Grande Dispatch.

  • Amazon’s Alexa could soon speak in a dead relative’s voice, making some feel uneasy

    Amazon’s Alexa could soon speak in a dead relative’s voice, making some feel uneasy

    A new feature of Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa is an ability to speak in a real person’s voice, which is making some people uncomfortable. That’s because the device can be programmed to use the voices of deceased persons, like departed family members. Response to the idea on social media included “creepy” and “morbid.” Subbarao Kambhampati, a Fulton Schools professor of computer science, says the reactions can be instructive. Amazon’s demonstration of the voice-replicating tool should make the public more aware of the growing capability of using synthetic voices, Kambhampati says, and should remind us that in a world of these technologies we cannot rely solely on our own ears to discern the true source of what we are hearing. He was also interviewed on the topic on the “Morning Wave Busan” radio program in South Korea.

  • Triple major ASU alumna uses interdisciplinary skills to research causality

    Triple major ASU alumna uses interdisciplinary skills to research causality

    Rachael Kha is finishing up work this summer to earn a master’s degree in chemical engineering from the Fulton Schools. It will be added to the bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering she also earned in the Fulton Schools as a student in ASU’s Barrett, The Honors College — along with undergraduate degrees in economics and philosophy. Kha says what she’s learned in each of these disciplines has enriched her overall educational experience, and provided knowledge that’s the foundation for her unique master’s thesis exploring applications of paradigms derived for philosophy combined with the use of engineering design in development of new technology. Next, she will pursue at doctoral degree in social and engineering systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

  • Study: We Can’t End Car Dependency Without Disincentivizing Driving

    Study: We Can’t End Car Dependency Without Disincentivizing Driving

    Experts can make a strong case for the benefits of altering our traditional travel choices. But getting public officials and the general public to change continues to be a big challenge, says Fulton Schools Professor Ram Pendyala, a transportation engineer and director of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment. Even where there are good incentives for moving away from car-centric lifestyles to more environmentally sustainable choices, there’s still not much willingness to make the switch, Pendyala says. Now, he and his colleagues have devised a list of 12 things shown to influence mobility choices, which could be a guide for policymakers to mount stronger efforts to incentivize a break away from conventional modes of transport.

  • ASU students commit to action on pressing issues

    ASU students commit to action on pressing issues

    A child of immigrant parents who have depended on her to be a mediator between them and their physicians, Anika Attaluri (pictured) knows the obstacles non-English-speaking and minority communities face when seeking health care. Now a second-year Fulton Schools biomedical engineering student, Attaluri is joining fellow global health major and student in ASU’s Barrett, The Honors College, Abdi Maleka, a second-year biological sciences student, in a Clinton Global Initiative University effort to establish a community of young leaders committed to developing innovative solutions to the world’s pressing social challenges. Attaluri and Abdi will be starting a nonprofit organization called Jigsaw Health to increase health literacy among minorities and eliminate disparities in health care in Arizona.

  • Social Media’s Latest Trend

    Social Media’s Latest Trend

    A newly developed artificial intelligence, or AI, tool called DALL-E is both exciting people about its creative capabilities while also worrying them about the ramifications of its potential misuse. DALL-E can take information and directions vocally from humans and use what it hears to produce images, illustrations and depictions of what people have described to it. Fulton Schools Professor Subarrao Kambhampati, a former president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, says DALL-E represents a significant step forward in AI technology that should be recognized as an impressive advance that can augment human creativity. At the same time, he says, it’s raises concern about its potential use in creating “deep fakes” and other manufactured images intended to spread false information.

  • Enabling next-generation Space IoT with a unified memory architecture

    Enabling next-generation Space IoT with a unified memory architecture

    Today’s increasingly challenging technological advances require ever deeper expertise in a wider range of engineering and science fields, especially when developing new technologies and systems to operate in different environments — like outer space. To produce a unified memory architecture to work in space, for instance, requires skills in radiation-effects mitigation, field-programmable gate arrays, synthetic aperture radar, mega-constellations of Space IoT micro satellites and spin torque transfer magnetoresistive random access memory solutions, to name a few. Among leaders of a current endeavor involving these tools and systems is Paul Armijo, chief technology officer of aerospace and defense at Avalanche Technology, a specialist in radiation effects, among other things, who earned his degree in electrical engineering at ASU.

  • Could Arizona be at risk for rolling blackouts this summer? ASU expert weighs in

    Could Arizona be at risk for rolling blackouts this summer? ASU expert weighs in

    Summer days in Phoenix that can bring temperatures exceeding 110 degrees are when we don’t want to see power outages that can cause threatening rolling blackouts. But conditions for outages and blackouts to occur at this time of year are at their peak, says Anamitra Pal, an assistant professor in the Fulton Schools electrical, computer and energy engineering program. A recent report says about two-thirds of the United States could experience these blackouts this summer — a possibility heightened by the impacts of climate change. Pal says strategic interventions are needed — including more use of renewable resources to increase the power supplies in energy systems to help prevent those total blackouts.

    See Also: Feeling the heat? It could get worse this summer — and the summer after, ASU News, June 10
    Feeling the heat? Here’s how it could get worse this summer, AZ Big Media, June 16
    Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Anamitra Pal is interviewed about how climate change, post-pandemic energy demand and war raise the risk of dangerous rolling electrical blackouts.

  • Pesticides Are Spreading Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Scientists Warn

    Pesticides Are Spreading Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Scientists Warn

    With strong molecular bonds that can take centuries to break down in the environment, toxic “forever chemicals” are a threat to human and environmental health.  Their presence is increasing because they are being used in most pesticides that came into the market in recent years. With these chemicals also being in many consumer products, including clothing, the toxins they contain are showing up in drinking water and our bloodstreams. Fulton Schools Professor Rolf Halden, director of ASU’s Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, is among experts warning of the growing risk of exposure to the toxic substances. Researchers say it could take decades before we see the impacts of these fluorinated pesticides being sprayed on crops.

  • AI as (an ersatz) Natural Science?

    AI as (an ersatz) Natural Science?

    On the Association for Computing Machinery blog, Subbarao Kambhampati (pictured), former president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, writes about the fluctuating movement of the artificial intelligence, or AI, field across the boundaries of engineering and science. The science of AI has involved attempts to provide insights into the nature of human intelligence, while AI engineering has focused on getting computers to demonstrate intelligent behavior. But lately, Kambhampati writes, the pendulum has swung toward AI and its turn toward becoming a tool of natural science, raising talk about the future of computing belonging more to biology rather than logic. That trend will no doubt bring up ethical questions about the aims toward which AI technologies are deployed and where engineering will end up fitting into an AI-driven world.

  • Universities partner to make chemistry more equitable

    Universities partner to make chemistry more equitable

    Among Black, Latino, Hispanic, American Indian and Alaska Native college students, more than 40% typically withdraw from or fail general education courses, hindering their higher education pursuits. To reverse that trend, ASU and Carnegie Mellon University are partnering to develop general chemistry courseware designed to help those students. Fulton Schools Associate Professor Rod Roscoe, a human systems engineer and a Diane and Gary Tooker Professor of Effective Education in STEM, will be among leaders of the effort. A major goal of the project is to create an innovative approach to teaching chemistry in ways that help students see personal and cultural connections to the field.

  • “A Homerun:” How Arizona became the global manufacturing hotspot

    “A Homerun:” How Arizona became the global manufacturing hotspot

    Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is building a $12 billion fabrication plant in the northern Phoenix area and plans to hire 2,000 people to work there. Meanwhile, the Intel company is building two new semiconductor plants south of Phoenix, an expansion that will open up 300 new jobs at the sprawling high-tech center. These are only two of the new ventures expanding Arizona’s fast-growing advanced manufacturing scene, which in addition to semiconductors will also focus on electric vehicles, battery technology, renewable energy, aerospace and more major industry sectors. Helping to lure these ventures is the state’s deep talent pool, which includes the more than 25,000 students enrolled in engineering education programs in the Fulton Schools. (Content for the article sponsored by the Arizona Commerce Authority.)

  • ASU student with Tucson ties making big moves with Apple

    ASU student with Tucson ties making big moves with Apple

    Fulton Schools computer science student Joshua Tint (pictured) is now reaping big benefits from what he learned as a member of the robotics teams he joined during his elementary school through high school years. During a recent final exam week at ASU, Tint was able at the same time to apply skills in robotics to develop an app to help people determine what names and pronouns work best for them. The app recently made him one of the 300 winners of Apple’s worldwide Swift Student Challenge. He was also among the students selected for an invite to demo his app for Apple developers. He’s doing an internship this summer in Tucson involving software for medical equipment and is planning to eventually earn a doctoral degree.

    Read more about Tint’s work and professional aspirations on Apple.com’s Newsroom: Apple’s WWDC22 Swift Student Challenge winners help communities through coding

  • From somebody to nobody: TSMC faces uphill battle in US talent war

    From somebody to nobody: TSMC faces uphill battle in US talent war

    Large construction crews and equipment are gathered daily at two sites in the Phoenix metropolitan area. A $12 billion semiconductor chip fabrication is being built at one site for the TSMC company. A $20 billion expansion is underway at an Intel plant at another site. Both are racing to have the expansive new facilities fully operational within about two years. The two industry giants are competing for new workers from the local talent pool — primarily ASU engineering students in the Fulton Schools. Intel’s longstanding relationship with ASU makes the competition tougher for TSMC in the current competitive market for new employees, says Professor Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools. But TSMC is recruiting heavily on campus and working on establishing research and training program collaborations with the university, says Fulton Schools Associate Professor Zachary Holman. The article is also published in S.G.C. and the Leak Herald.

  • The pandemic showed us how interconnected we are. Will our climate response reflect that?

    The pandemic showed us how interconnected we are. Will our climate response reflect that?

    Scientists who authored recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and other publications say pandemics and climate change are shared global problems — and that solutions must also come from a global perspective. Slowing climate change could help prevent another pandemic. One potential approach for addressing this challenge is being explored by a research group led by Gautam Dasarathy, a Fulton Schools assistant professor of electrical, computer and energy engineering. The project teams experts in computer science, math, geography, public policy and even media and the arts. Dasarathy says examining the problem from those various viewpoints could yield insights into effective ways to simultaneously deal with climate change and pandemics. (Access to the full content of the Arizona Republic is available only to subscribers.) The article is also published in USA News Lab.

May

2022
  • ‘It’s almost like the whole city was built with it’: Thousands of Tempe homes could have expired pipes

    ‘It’s almost like the whole city was built with it’: Thousands of Tempe homes could have expired pipes

    Up to 90 percent of the homes in Tempe could be at high risk of major sewage backups in the near future. After a recent pipeline break that released several million gallons of water and closed much of a major freeway across the city, officials reported that deteriorating sewage pipes in the area could potentially lead to similarly troublesome leaks or ruptures. Pipes used to connect residences to the city’s public sewer systems between 1940 and 1970 are now past the age of their average lifespans, says Samuel Ariaratnam, a professor and chair of the Fulton Schools construction engineering program. Everything from small cracks to extensive collapses of those older pipelines are now an evident threat, says Ariaratnam, who was recently appointed to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s pipeline advisory committee. The news was also reported in U.S. News & World Report, KTAR News, Claims Journal, USA News Lab, Your Valley, KJZZ News (NPR), The Miner, Tempe in Motion, Arizona Daily Sun, News Break, Daily Independent, Underground Construction

  • UB-led team advances cyber-manufacturing systems with $2.3 million NSF grant

    UB-led team advances cyber-manufacturing systems with $2.3 million NSF grant

    A multi-university reach team is working to help modernize manufacturing systems. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the project aims to help industries — including semiconductor manufacturing and 3D printing — improve their quality, production and efficiency. Co-principal investigators on the team include Fulton Schools faculty members and researchers Rong Pan and Guilia Pedrielli. Pan is an associate professor and Pedrielli is an assistant professor, both of them in the School of Computing and Augmented intelligence, one of the seven Fulton Schools. The project is focused on advancing Industry 4.0, a term used to describe a fourth industrial revolution that revolves around intelligent and interactive manufacturing ecosystems that integrate product design, production and logistics.

  • ASU research examines new method for diagnosing African swine fever

    ASU research examines new method for diagnosing African swine fever

    Without an effective treatment or vaccine for African swine fever, or ASF, an outbreak of the disease can devastate swine herds. But work led by Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Chao Wang in ASU’s Biodesign Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics is showing promise for a new and improved method for early diagnosis of ASF. Wang’s research combines nanoscience and biotechnology, and his expertise includes medical point-of-care biosensing technologies. This project involves design and validation of a portable diagnostic sensing device using metal nanoparticles with different optical characteristics to find ASF biomarkers. Wang and his colleagues have funding from the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to pursue further development of their diagnostic test. The article is also published in Farms.com, News-Medical.net and Science Magazine.

  • Abu Dhabi University Previews Sustainable Smart Construction and Concrete 3D Printing in the Third Edition of the ADU-ASU Research Forum

    Abu Dhabi University Previews Sustainable Smart Construction and Concrete 3D Printing in the Third Edition of the ADU-ASU Research Forum

    Engineers and scientists tackling challenges of sustainable smart construction and design for projects using concrete in hot-weather environments recently gathered at Abu Dhabi University (ADU), the largest engineering college in the United Arab Emirates. ADU collaborated the School of Sustainable Engineering and Built Environment, one of the seven Fulton Schools at Arizona State University, for the ADU-ASU Research Forum 2022. Students from both universities learned about innovative concepts in sustainable construction and advances in the use of 3D printing technology to solve major industrial challenges. Fulton Schools Professor Narayanan Neithalath said the forum offered students valuable learning experiences while promoting research collaborations between educational institutions. News about the event is also published in the Eye of Dubai, Abu Dhabi University news, Emirates News Agency—WAM, Zawya, Eye of Riyadh, Write Caliber and Albawaba.

  • Why farms are falling behind on autonomous technology

    Why farms are falling behind on autonomous technology

    As transportation, manufacturing and other industries boost use of advances in automation and autonomous technologies, agricultural operations remain slow to take advantage of increasing opportunities to automate. Rene Villalobos, a Fulton Schools associate professor of industrial engineering who studies innovation in agriculture, says both agriculture businesses and consumers of farm products can benefit from new high-tech tools and systems that would make growing, harvesting and delivering food to the marketplace more efficient, economical and environmentally sustainable. And while using new technology will enable streamlining supply chains and bringing logistics to agricultural operations, Villalobos doesn’t foresee the automation that would be involved in those ventures displacing agricultural workers but instead creating news kinds of jobs for them in the industry.

  • California is beginning to bury its power lines to prevent wildfire

    California is beginning to bury its power lines to prevent wildfire

    To reduce the threat of wildfires, Pacific Gas and Electric is embarking on an extensive and expensive project to put its high-risk electrical power distribution lines underground. The company’s equipment has been faulted for sparking intense and wide-ranging wildfires in Northern California in recent years that have led to numerous fatalities and devastating property destruction. Even with the high cost, the project is a smart move, says Professor Samuel Ariaratnam, the Fulton Schools construction engineering program chair. He and other engineers point out the necessity for the project because of the intensifying impact of global warming in creating conditions to ignite wildfires. Ariaratnam is a leading expert in an evolving underground construction technique called horizontal directional drilling that could be used in this project. The technique can significantly save time and effort in restoring terrain disrupted by underground power line installations.

  • Flagstaff Seeks Carbon Capture Technology to Meet 2030 Climate Goals

    Flagstaff Seeks Carbon Capture Technology to Meet 2030 Climate Goals

    Progress is being made in developing systems to remove polluting greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, and the city of Flagstaff and at least one other municipality in its region of the country are anxious to put those systems to use to protect their environments from the impacts of climate change. Flagstaff is part of the Four Corners Coalition, along with local governments of towns and cities that include Boulder County, Colorado, which also plans to obtain the new carbon capture technology. Flagstaff’s climate and energy coordinator is working with ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions State, directed by Fulton Schools Professor Klaus Lackner, to deploy the technology. The city could be one of the first in the United States to implement a climate plan that involves both capturing and storing carbon dioxide.

  • How much phosphorous is safe for our streams and rivers?

    How much phosphorous is safe for our streams and rivers?

    The federal government and the state of Arkansas are going to court over issues revolving around the amount of the mineral phosphorous that can be contained in water coming from local sewer treatment systems. Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Rebecca Muenich, an agricultural and biological engineer, explains how this issue can impact water quality and the health of people, aquatic habitats and agricultural ecosystems, as well as shape governmental precedents for land management and environmental regulations.

  • Steelmaking is a major source of emissions. These companies are racing to fix it.

    Steelmaking is a major source of emissions. These companies are racing to fix it.

    Pollution from domestic steel mills accounts for about 15 percent of carbon emissions in the United States. But the steel industry is trying to reduce its carbon footprint. Companies are testing prototypes of systems that could enable manufacturing steel without the use of fossil fuels that have detrimental environmental impacts. Experts say this will require big changes in how steel is now made. Each potential solution faces challenges in terms of costs and the availability of key resources, says Professor Sridhar Seetharaman, the Fulton Schools vice dean for research and innovation, whose expertise is in materials science and engineering. Seetharaman says a mix of different methods will likely be needed to achieve major carbon emissions reductions.

  • Simple Gene Circuits Hint at How Stem Cells Find New Identities

    Simple Gene Circuits Hint at How Stem Cells Find New Identities

    How do body cells that are genetically identical become some of the many different kinds of cells found in complex organisms, like humans? A system designed by Xiao Wang, a Fulton Schools associate professor of biomedical engineering, helps make a step forward in understanding the ways nature tells cells how to differentiate into other kinds of cells — a process that helps generate the variety we find in biology and nature. The knowledge could help researchers learn how to control cells’ growth and change. Scientists and engineers see the possibility of introducing cells into patients that are engineered to develop in ways that are useful in diagnosing or treating diseases.

  • Algae could help fuel the future. But it’s not easy being ‘green’

    Algae could help fuel the future. But it’s not easy being ‘green’

    Researchers with ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, directed by Fulton Schools Professor Klaus Lackner, are working with the city of Mesa to turn the byproducts of wastewater treatment into fuel and other useful products. Justin Flory (in picture), the center’s associate director, is managing the project that involves harnessing the way that algae works naturally in the process of breaking down human-produced wastewater. In that process, microalgae takes in carbon dioxide from the waste, which essentially feeds the microalgae and can enable it to help produce useful algae-based biofuels. Flory and other researchers see those biofuels and other uses of algae playing big roles in supporting sustainable sources of energy, as well as helping reduce the negative impacts on the environment from emissions produced by wastewater treatment. (Access to the full content of the Arizona Republic is accessible only to subscribers.)

  • Rice University Researches Ammonia Removal From Wastewater

    Rice University Researches Ammonia Removal From Wastewater

    A recently developed catalyst that can pull ammonia and solid ammonia from low levels of nitrates found in industrial wastewater and polluted groundwater promises to enable a process to yield drinkable water from those sources. Christopher Muhich, a Fulton Schools assistant professor of chemical engineering, helped researchers from Rice University and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory create the catalyst. The process it enables would help reduce carbon dioxide emissions from traditional industrial production of ammonia. Using further treatment of this kind on other water contaminants could potentially clean up industrial wastewater enough to make it safe for drinking. See the earlier post below, “Process aims to strip ammonia from wastewater,” dated May 3, for more coverage of this research news.

  • COVID-19 wastewater efforts confront long-term questions

    COVID-19 wastewater efforts confront long-term questions

    Wastewater monitoring and testing has been emerging as an effective way to reveal public health trends. Wastewater surveillance programs in particular have been helping communities track the outbreak and spread of COVID-19. Still, ramping up such efforts is often difficult because they can require substantial funding and a variety of resources, as well as political support and expanded government services. Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Otakuye Conroy-Ben, an environmental engineer, is facing some of those obstacles in her work to recruit Native American tribal organizations to implement wastewater monitoring. While making some significant progress, Ben and her team are encountering administrative, cultural, geographic and economic obstacles to getting those projects up and running. The article was also published in The Mercury News,

     

  • In Chelsea, cooling an urban heat island one block at a time

    In Chelsea, cooling an urban heat island one block at a time

    As cities increasingly face longer and more intense hot weather, some are undertaking efforts like the heat-fighting Cool Block project in Chelsea, Massachusetts. More shade-producing trees are being planted and dark asphalt and heat-reflecting concrete are being replaced by white or gray concrete or other materials that reduce heat emanating from sidewalks and roadways. White roof surfaces are being installed over darker surfaces that hold heat. Larger U.S. cities — including Phoenix, Philadelphia and New York — are making strides in developing “cool corridors” that use a variety of techniques to battle the urban heat-island effect. Experts like Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Ariane Middel, an urban climatologist, are advising communities on these efforts to help ensure sound science and engineering principles are guiding these endeavors. 

    See Also: American Innovators: How America’s Hottest City is Handling the Heat (YouTube)

  • Explainer: What are PFAS?

    Explainer: What are PFAS?

    Perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, or PFAS chemicals, are fully synthetic – meaning they’re not found in the natural world. They’re called “forever chemicals” because they are extremely resistant to either chemical and biological degradation. Experts, including Fulton Schools Professor Rolf Halden, an environmental engineer who directs ASU Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, explain that while PFAS substances work well in many consumer products they can also be a threat to human and environmental health. Engineers and scientists are working on ways to remove PFAS chemicals from environments where they present serious threats.  They want to see use of more “green chemistry” — which has useful properties, but will become benign in the environment or quickly break down.

  • Biden’s cure for high gasoline prices? The 2021 infrastructure bill

    Biden’s cure for high gasoline prices? The 2021 infrastructure bill

    President Joe Biden says some solutions to rising gas prices are outlined in his legislative bill aimed at upgrading the nation’s infrastructure, including its transportation systems and travel options. Some proposed projects would lower demand — and prices — for gasoline, but take years to have a significant affect, some experts say. Making electric vehicles more affordable and mass transit more accessible would help, but still take as long as a decade, critics point out. Fulton Schools Research Professor Steven Polzin says parts of the president’s plan would alter the fuel supply-demand situation and likely help reduce prices, but adds that energy pricing is highly connected to a global market and that cutting demand in any one country would have only a modest impact on lowering oil prices.

  • The Southwest’s Drought and Fires Are a Window to Our Climate Change Future

    The Southwest’s Drought and Fires Are a Window to Our Climate Change Future

    The future of the fastest growing region of the United States, the Southwest, will be shaped by a new and different climate reality. And that is going to present big challenges. The Earth’s atmosphere has reached its highest concentration of carbon dioxide in history. That buildup is a major factor in the growing number of more intense fires and droughts. Environmental engineers and scientists are predicting those dramatic events could become more frequent and severe as climate change progresses. Fulton Schools Professor Mikhail Chester, director of ASU’s Metis Center for Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering, and other experts say current designs for our infrastructure systems don’t adequately address difficulties that will be presented by the emerging extreme climate conditions. The rise of the heat-island effect and similar climatic alterations could threaten power systems, water systems and the stability of communities. Chester and others say our society has long gotten away with  planning, designing and building things for a relatively stable environmental reality. But today and in the future — especially in places like the Southwest — we need to become flexible in responding to rapidly changing ecosystems.

    See Also: Activist Group Says U.S. Insurers Trying to Weaken Climate-Related Regulations, Insurance Journal, May 12
    Mikhail Chester comments on the critical need to respond to climate change challenges in the design and construction of new infrastructure projects.

  • ‘Possible cracks’ close the McClintock bridge over the US 60 in Tempe

    ‘Possible cracks’ close the McClintock bridge over the US 60 in Tempe

    Arizona Department of Transportation officials are particularly concerned about the failure of a major water pipeline near the U.S. 60 freeway in Tempe. In addition to necessitating the closure of a long stretch of the freeway, the pipeline break may have also caused cracks in the foundation of an overpass of a major road — McClintock Drive — above the freeway. The steel cyclinder pipe that broke is expected to last for about 75 years, a Tempe spokesperson said, but was only 50 years old when it broke. But such breaks are not rare, says Professor Samuel Ariaratnam, who heads the Fulton Schools construction engineering program. Ariaratnam cites research that found there are an average of 25 breaks per 100 miles of water pipeline — adding up to about 850 breaks per day in North America. The Phoenix area, for instance, is thought of as a young metropolitan area with newer infrastructure systems, but in fact has some water lines that are about a century old, he says. Ariaratnam was recently appointed to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s pipeline advisory committee.

    See also: Eight-million-gallon water main break could cause more problems underground, ABC 15 News (YouTube), May 11

    Water main break located, but no ETA for US 60 reopening in Tempe, 3TV/CBS 5 News-Phoenix, May 9

    No timetable yet for reopening US 60 in Tempe following water main break, ABC 15 News-Phoenix, May 11

  • The human health observatory in our sewers

    The human health observatory in our sewers

    Advances in wastewater testing are expanding ways in which public health can be monitored — and the ways the spread of contagious diseases can be tracked. That capability has been especially important during the outbreak of the COVID pandemic. Work at ASU’s Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, led by Fulton Schools Professor Rolf Halden and his team, has helped to open up new aspects of wastewater epidemiology to provide critical information about the transmission of COVID and other health threats. Progress by the center’s researchers and other experts in the field around the world is leading to establishment of wastewater surveillance systems that can alert local health agencies to the rise of diseases. Officials can then use the data to make decisions about allocating resources to help combat outbreaks. Halden says wastewater analysis can also provide information that can be used to proactively guide people in adopting healthier lifestyle habits.

     

  • First ‘MechanicalTree’ installed on ASU’s Tempe campus

    First ‘MechanicalTree’ installed on ASU’s Tempe campus

    The first commercial-scale “MechanicalTree” is being installed on a test pad on ASU’s Tempe campus. The creation of the university’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, directed by Fulton Schools Professor Klaus Lackner, the “tree” has the capability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, making it a potentially vital tool in helping to reduce the environment-threatening impacts of climate change. Lackner is working with Carbon Collect Ltd., a company that is using Lackner’s pioneering carbon-capture ideas to manufacture commercially available devices for carbon dioxide removal.  When fully operational, the MechanicalTree on campus is expected to remove about 200 pounds a day of the carbon dioxide that is trapping heat in the atmosphere and causing global warming. See previous posts on this page — dated May 5 and April 22 — for more news coverage of the MechanicalTree technology.

  • Viruses in Hiding: He got throat cancer even though he was never a smoker. The cause? An HPV infection

    Viruses in Hiding: He got throat cancer even though he was never a smoker. The cause? An HPV infection

    Researchers are discovering the development of long-term diseases — including cancer — can be triggered by a complex combination of genetics, virus dynamics and environmental factors. Studies of diseases like those related to the human papillomavirus, or HPV, are revealing not only how illnesses arise and progress but also ways in which they could be treated or prevented. Work contributing to deeper understanding of the root causes of diseases and other disorders and how to combat them is being done in ASU’s Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes, directed by Fulton Schools Professor Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, an environmental engineer. She and her team are studying the intricate workings of ecosystems in the body to determine how they are tied to our health. The research has led to promising results, such as transplants of human gut bacteria that could help children with autism. (Access to the full content of the Arizona Republic is accessible only to subscribers.)

     

  • With Charlotte back to work, more people are riding light rail. But local bus ridership isn’t growing.

    With Charlotte back to work, more people are riding light rail. But local bus ridership isn’t growing.

    The waning of the COVID-19 pandemic is bringing some workers back to offices in a time of rising gasoline prices. Those two factors appear to be attracting more riders to mass transit light rail lines —but not necessarily to buses, streetcars and other modes of public transportation. Fulton Schools Research Professor Steven Polzin, a civil engineer who specializes in transportation, says it’s difficult to ascertain precisely where public transit trends are moving. He expects that many workers won’t return to offices full time and other sources of ridership will be hard to find. He foresees overall mass transportation ridership nationwide increasing in the coming year, but not by more than about 60 percent.

  • Can ASU’s MechanicalTree remove enough carbon to slow climate change?

    Can ASU’s MechanicalTree remove enough carbon to slow climate change?

    Researchers at ASU Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, directed by Fulton Schools Professor Klaus Lackner and Travis Johnson, one of the center’s associate directors, are focused on contributing to endeavors to slow climate change and avoid the environmental problems it could cause. One of the primary efforts involves maximizing the effectiveness of the carbon-capturing technologies the center’s team has been developing. A prototype of one kind of that technology — trademarked as the MechanicalTree — was recently installed on a small lot next to ASU’s Biodesign Institute. Recently commercialized by Carbon Collect Inc., a renewable energy manufacturer, the MechanicalTree is one of six projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to slow the effects of carbon dioxide in the environment. The goal is to build “tree farms” in the coming years to capture 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide a day.

  • Your Take-Out Coffee Cup May Shed Trillions of Plastic ‘Nanoparticles’

    Your Take-Out Coffee Cup May Shed Trillions of Plastic ‘Nanoparticles’

    A thin plastic film is used to line the inside of paper coffee cups helps keep the coffee hot and prevent it from leaking through the cardboard. But there’s concern about the tiny particles of plastic — called microplastics — that leach into the coffee and may have adverse health effects. Recent lab test results published in the research journal Environmental Science and Technology find the lining releases more than 5 trillion plastic nanoparticles per liter when hot liquid is poured into a 12-ounce single-use cup. Fulton Schools Professor Rolf Halden, director of ASU’s Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, says these nanoparticles are small enough to slip into our bloodstreams and get lodged in the body’s tissues and organs. At present, Halden says, researchers lack the tools to measure precisely what is happening with the ingested plastic particles and to be certain where the particles are going and what they may be doing. One recent study, however, raises hope for a new method designed to reveal the impact of these microplastics. The article is also published in HealthDay.

  • Process aims to strip ammonia from wastewater

    Process aims to strip ammonia from wastewater

    Christopher Muhich, a Fulton Schools assistant professor of chemical engineering, has teamed with researchers at Rice University and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to develop a high-performance catalyst that can pull ammonia and solid ammonia – in other words, fertilizer — from low levels of nitrates that are widespread in industrial wastewater and polluted groundwater. The achievement could open a path to advanced treatments of contaminants that can potentially enable turning industrial wastewater into drinking water. Another benefit of the process the research team has developed is the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from traditional industrial production of ammonia.

    News about the project also appears in Science Daily, AZO Materials, FuelCellsWorks, Innovations Report, Technology Networks, Technology.Org, News Explorer, 24HTECH, NewsBreak, Swifttelecast, New On News, Genius Interactive, Phys.Org, Chem-Europe, WaterWorld, Nano Magazine, Water Online, Research News, Materials Today, Chemical Online, ISS Source

  • 2 ASU professors appointed as first-ever Navrotsky Professors of Materials Research

    2 ASU professors appointed as first-ever Navrotsky Professors of Materials Research

    Significant contributions to materials science and engineering have earned Fulton Schools Associate Professor Candace Chan (pictured at left in photo) one of ASU’s first Navrotsky Professor of Materials Research positions.  The professorship has been made possible by a $10 million gift bequest from Alexandra Novrotsky, the director of ASU’s Navrotsky Eyring Center for Materials of the Universe, to ensure the long-term growth of materials science at the university. Chan plans to work with other researchers on engineering materials solutions for decarbonization, sustainable and clean energy, and critical materials needed for important technological applications. Chan’s fellow new Navrotsky Professor, Dan (Sang-Heon) Shim (pictured at right in photo), a professor in ASU’s School of Earth and Space Exploration, will join her in efforts to drive progress in the fields of materials research and solid state science.

  • The Surprisingly Complicated Physics of Carrying a Cup of Coffee — Without Spilling

    The Surprisingly Complicated Physics of Carrying a Cup of Coffee — Without Spilling

    A significant technological advance could be achieved if robots could be enabled to handle a cup of coffee with the same dexterity humans can. Whenever we take our coffee from one place to another without spilling it, we are accomplishing a feat of physics that is not common to other creatures and machines like robots. Work on advances in robotics to make that possible is being done by researchers, including Fulton Schools Professor Ying-Cheng Lai and doctoral student Brent Wallace. The endeavor involves some very precise and advanced electrical, mechanical and computer engineering. Lai and Wallace are hopeful about finding ways to make robot movements more predictable, reliable and adaptable. They say success in their work could lead to better prosthetics and ways to more effectively synchronize the operations of technologies in general.

April

2022
  • We’re Flushing Some of Our Best COVID Data Down the Toilet

    We’re Flushing Some of Our Best COVID Data Down the Toilet

    While overall cases of the viral COVID-19 are down, it is still critically important to keep track of when and where the disease might be reemerging, especially as new variants spread and potentially trigger new surges of infections. Monitoring of COVID-19 breakouts has been made more effective by advances in wastewater testing led by researchers such as Fulton Schools Professor Rolf Halden, director of ASU Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Halden’s wastewater testing in Tempe and surrounding areas led to identifying a previously undocumented virus hotspot in the neighboring town of Guadalupe, home to a large number of Native American and Latino residents who often did not have access to COVID-19  tests. Halden and others are still working to improve the effectiveness of their techniques, and experts expect this kind of testing to remain important for the detection and monitoring of any future pandemics.

  • ‘A tipping point’: Arizona universities join forces to map the deadly Valley fever fungus

    ‘A tipping point’: Arizona universities join forces to map the deadly Valley fever fungus

    About two-thirds of the cases of the potentially fatal respiratory disease known as Valley Fever are typically contracted in Arizona — and about 80 percent of those cases are in Maricopa County, which includes the greater Phoenix area. Now there’s a major effort in motion to address the problem. Researchers from Arizona’s three state universities — including Fulton Schools faculty members and graduate students — are teaming up through the new Valley Fever Collaborative to find ways to suppress the spread of the disease. Miriam Woolley, a graduate research assistant in the civil, environmental and sustainable engineering program, is testing a spray application developed to form a protective layer over the surface of the earth to prevent dust from rising into the atmosphere and spreading the disease. The Valley Fever Collaborative is expected to build on work like that being done by Woolley and her team.

  • A sharper image for proteins

    A sharper image for proteins

    Proteins in the form of strings of amino acids are essential for the growth and maintenance of human body tissue. They initiate thousands of biochemical reactions, and protect the body from pathogens through the immune system. To better understand proteins and their functions, Fulton Schools Associate Professor Shaopeng Wang (pictured), a researcher in ASU’s Biodesign Center for Bioelectronics and Biosensors, has helped to develop sophisticated means to see and study them through advanced microscopy by improving light detection, imaging software and the integration of advanced hardware systems. A recent study by Wang and ASU colleagues describes a new technique that cold revolutionize the imaging of proteins and other vital biomolecules. That would mean being able to visualize these tiny entities with unprecedented clarity and by simpler means than existing methods. This breakthrough could lead to safer and more effective medicinal drugs.

  • Groundwater pollution may be an overlooked aspect of Arizona water issues

    Groundwater pollution may be an overlooked aspect of Arizona water issues

    There’s growing concern about potential contamination of Arizona’s groundwater — an especially valuable resource because of the state’s dry climate. Add to that worries about water in private wells, much of which contains one or more kinds of pollutants, says Rebecca Muenich, a Fulton Schools associate professor of environmental engineering. Arizona’s continuing growth poses a challenge to keep sources of environmental contamination in check. And with the state still going through a long-term drought, officials are focusing on trying to ensure there are adequate quantities of water. But Muenich stresses that if the water is of poor quality, then having an abundant supply won’t solve any major problems.

  • CHART-ing the future of space exploration

    CHART-ing the future of space exploration

    People, robots and artificial intelligence technology will be able to collaborate more effectively if researchers in ASU’s General Human Operation of Systems as Teams Lab, also known as GHOST, are successful. Constructed by ASU’s Center for Human, Artificial and Robot Teaming, or CHART, the GHOST Lab is a center of activity for research aiming to make advances enabling productive interactions between AI, robots and humans in health care, manufacturing and transportation, as well as in defense technologies and space exploration. The research is led by CHART’s director, Fulton Schools Professor Nancy Cooke. A cognitive psychologist, Cooke is applying her expertise in human teamwork and decision-making to human-technology teamwork — including collaborating on space missions. There’s much room for improvement in the capabilities of robotic and AI technologies to work successfully with people in a variety of situations, Cooke says. But it’s a critically needed step forward that could determine if humans make any significant progress in space exploration in years to come.   

  • ASU leads 4-university effort to work with industry on vehicle efficiency, sustainability

    ASU leads 4-university effort to work with industry on vehicle efficiency, sustainability

    Improved energy efficiency and environmental sustainability are two of the key advances the National Science Foundation, or NSF, wants to see in automobiles and automotive technologies. One way the foundation is supporting that goal is by funding some of the work at the Center for Efficient Vehicles and Sustainable Transportation Systems, led by Fulton Schools Associate Professor Hongbin Yu. In the new NSF-funded project, the center will engage in research with automotive companies to develop ways to reach energy and sustainability goals. Yu says the plan is to aid the companies in achieving significant reductions in emissions from internal-combustion engines and better energy efficiency. At the same time, the center’s researchers plan to help automotive companies position themselves for conversions from the use of polluting fossil fuels to cleaner and more efficient electric power.

  • ASU professor wins $1M DoD grant to boost AI technology

    ASU professor wins $1M DoD grant to boost AI technology

    Improving the way computers discern various kinds of images is the focus of new research to be done for the U.S. Department of Defense by ASU’s Geometric Media Lab, led by Pavan Turaga, a Fulton Schools professor and director of the School of Arts, Media and Engineering. The research involves developing robust applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence to specifically enable more accurate and relevant identification of objects and their environments in the various kinds of images. The challenge is to expand the abilities of computers to reliably identify objects in images by teaching the computers to pay attention to the objects’ shapes, along with other important details. This will help the military, for instance, in deciphering what is in certain types of images provided by drones, which are more frequently used to gather information for military and defense purposes. Turaga says the project will benefit from the collaboration of the arts, media and engineering program and the Fulton Schools electrical, computer and energy engineering program.

  • AIs Spot Drones with Help from a Fly Eye

    AIs Spot Drones with Help from a Fly Eye

    Unauthorized drones in commercial airspace are causing more frequent problems around the world. As these remotely piloted flying machines become ever cheaper and more accessible, there is growing concern they will become increasingly disruptive. Now a group of researchers has developed a special detection system to help stop troublesome drones.  They’ve come up with an algorithm designed by reverse engineering the visual system of the hoverfly. These flies, like some other kinds of buzzing insects, have extremely keen vision and fast reaction times. Such abilities stem from their compound eyes, which take in a lot of information simultaneously, and from the neurons that process that information — which are very good at separating relevant signals from meaningless noise. Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Ted Pavlic, associate director of research for ASU’s Biomimicry Center, says the achievement by these scientists is yet another valuable example of how much can potentially be learned from nature about signal processing.

  • Can a mechanical ‘tree’ help slow climate change? An ASU researcher built one to find out

    Can a mechanical ‘tree’ help slow climate change? An ASU researcher built one to find out

    A pioneering effort by Fulton Schools Professor Klaus Lackner (pictured) and his team at ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions  has provided the carbon capturing technology called the Mechanical Tree. It is touted for its ability to absorb large amounts carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and thus become a major tool to help curb climate change that could threaten some dire consequences for the Earth’s environment. Lackner is now working with Dublin-based Carbon Collect Ltd. to make the mechanical trees commercially available. Carbon Collect has a U.S. Department of Energy grant to design three large carbon capture farms in the American South, Midwest and West. Lackner says carbon capture technologies are necessary to balance the Earth’s carbon budget and help the world stay below 2 degrees of global warming. Growing use of the Mechanical Trees and similar systems might also encourage major polluters to start using carbon capture systems.

    See Also: Mechanical ‘tree’ planted at Arizona State University in hopes of fighting climate change, KTAR News, April 22

    Mechanical ‘tree’ at Arizona State University built to help fight climate change, FOX Weather, April 28

    Chemistry in Pictures: Mechanical Trees, Chemical & Engineering News, April 29

    Carbon Collect Unveils Mechanicaltree™ In Partnership With Arizona State University – Watts Up With That? Soft Educator, April 25
    The article was also published in Newsplaneta, Waseca Foods, 6Park News/Arizona and Science X Network

  • ASU Native American student Shundene Key wins NSF award

    ASU Native American student Shundene Key wins NSF award

    A National Science Foundation Research Fellowship grant is giving ASU doctoral student Shundene Key an opportunity to expand her research on proteins and how they function in the human immune system. The project could reveal ways to treat diseases by controlling proteins’ activities within the immune system. A member of the Navajo Nation, Key chose ASU in part because of its resources for Native American students. Along with help from ASU’s American Indian Student Support Services and American Indian Graduate Student Association, she was aided by Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Otakuye Conroy-Ben, a member of South Dakota’s Ogala-Lakota tribe. Conroy-Ben, the first Native American scientist Key had met, has provided her mentorship and a sense of belonging within the ASU community that is helping Key reach her goals.

  • Electric cars generate interest as gas prices soar

    Electric cars generate interest as gas prices soar

    There’s growing consensus among business communities, industry leaders and government policy makers about the necessity of transitioning from motor vehicles that emit greenhouses gases to more environmentally sustainable automobiles powered by electricity. Despite that realization, there are many steps that need to be taken to make that transition effectively, says Fulton Schools Research Professor Steven Polzin, a former senior adviser in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Infrastructure must be put in place to provide adequate charging stations and other services for electric vehicles, along with establishing regulatory standards, price regulations, and safety and maintenance standards to support electrification, Polzin says. To adequately produce a positive environmental impact, he adds, the transition to electricity must go beyond household vehicles to trucks, buses, delivery vans and other kinds of large and numerous commercial and industrial motor vehicles. (Access to the full content of the Arizona Capitol Times is available only to subscribers.)

  • No more masks on planes, trains, and buses — for now

    No more masks on planes, trains, and buses — for now

    Debate is swirling about the potential impacts of a federal judge’s decision that the federal mask mandate initiated in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic exceeded the authority of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fulton Schools Research Professor Steven Polzin, a civil engineer who focuses on transportation, says the ruling may result in more ridership on mass transit if people who stopped using public transportation return to it because the mask mandate has been lifted. Still, he doesn’t foresee a dramatic rise in ridership because many people will feel uncomfortable and at risk of their health if they use transit options where many other riders are maskless. On the other hand, he says tensions may ease between public transit users who have complied with mask mandates and those who have not. The change could also alleviate stress for transit systems employees who won’t have to enforce compliance with mandates.

  • How wastewater can help scientists track new COVID-19 variants

    How wastewater can help scientists track new COVID-19 variants

    As the COVID-19 virus continues to mutate into variant strains, there remains the potential for widespread outbreaks of new forms of the deadly disease. One way in which emerging variants might be detected is the advanced wastewater testing techniques that have been developed in recent years by scientists and engineers, including Fulton Schools Professor Rolf Halden and his research team at ASU’s Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering. These techniques can extract the genetic blueprint of the coronavirus from water in waste treatment facilities, enabling researchers to put together a picture of the prevalence of the virus in local communities. Public agencies and health organizations could then be alerted to deploy resources to track the virus and take actions to protect people in the area from the disease.

  • Will a Fast Train to Vegas Lure Road Trippers From Their Cars?

    Will a Fast Train to Vegas Lure Road Trippers From Their Cars?

    Las Vegas business and civic leaders are seeing more frequent traffic snarls that frustrate visitors who drive into the city to enjoy its many gaming and entertainment attractions. There’s concern that Vegas may soon lose many of those visitors and the income the city derives from them because of the massive traffic jams. Now a company wants to help solve the problem by bringing in visitors on a speedy climate-friendly rail line with amenities like free internet. But some see risks in such a privately financed intercity passenger rail system with a high price tag.  Fulton Schools Professor Steven Polzin, a civil engineer who has experience as a U.S. Department of Transportation adviser, cautions that it could be a fine line between whether such a system will become an asset or a drag on the cities’ financial outlook.

  • Interplanetary Initiative Lab student worker lands job at Blue Origin

    Interplanetary Initiative Lab student worker lands job at Blue Origin

    A Fulton Schools mechanical engineering graduate student will soon be leaving ASU after receiving his master’s degree and stepping into a job as a thermal analysis and management engineer for the leading aerospace company Blue Origin. That opportunity is due primarily to the experience Matthew Adkins (pictured) has gained since becoming part of the team at ASU’s Interplanetary Initiative Lab in 2020. His role enabled him to work on a project for NASA, network with industry professionals and move other projects forward from the concept to testing stages. At Blue Origin, he’ll assist on one project the relates to work he performed for his master’s thesis and be involved in the Orbital Reef, a project for which the university’s Interplanetary Initiative Lab is providing academic leadership.

  • First ‘Mechanical Tree’ installed on ASU’s Tempe campus

    First ‘Mechanical Tree’ installed on ASU’s Tempe campus

    Carbon capture technology developed by Fulton Schools Professor Klaus Lackner and his research team at ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions is widely seen as among the most promising tools for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and thus helping to limit the impacts of environment-threatening climate change. Now, one of the first commercial-scale, capture-capturing “Mechanical Trees” is being installed on ASU’s Tempe campus. It’s part of efforts to publicly demonstrate the effectiveness of the innovative system with the larger goal of accelerating a global movement to reduce carbon emissions to combat the effects of global warming and similar problems that negatively impact the quality of life and health on the planet. Lackner is working with the business venture Carbon Collect to provide commercially available carbon dioxide removal devices.

    See Also: World’s FIRST Mechanical Tree ‘Planted” in Tempe, and It Sucks. In a Good Way, Phoenix News Times, April 19

    Dublin company unveils ‘mechanical tree’ for capturing CO2, Silicon Republic, April 19

    ASU plants ‘mechanical tree’ on Tempe campus to remove carbon dioxide, The Business Journals, April 19

    Dublin company unveils ‘mechanical tree’ for capturing CO2, Tribunal Inquiry, April 19

    Mechanical Trees Capture CO2 at ASU Tempe Campus, ABC 15 New Arizona, April 18

    Carbon Collect unveils first mechanical tree, The Chemical Engineer, April 21

  • How Arizona expertise could help solve global water challenges

    How Arizona expertise could help solve global water challenges

    Arizona’s history of advancing water engineering and science goes back almost 2,000 years ago, when the Hohokam people developed an extensive irrigation system that extended for hundreds of miles and supported a productive society. Today, research at the state’s universities is contributing to water systems innovations and advances in water-related technologies. Among the most inventive and potentially impactful is SOURCE Global, founded by Cody Friesen, a Fulton Schools associate professor of materials science and engineering. His company’s unique system uses a solar-powered device to extract moisture from the air that can be turned into drinking water. The hydropanels that accomplish the conversion eliminate the need for obtaining operating power from an electric grid, which enables the system to be more easily installed anywhere in the world that has adequate access to  sunlight.

  • Valley Fever Collaborative awarded $3M in research

    Valley Fever Collaborative awarded $3M in research

    ASU scientists and engineers will join those at the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University in a series of projects designed to gather detailed data on Valley fever in the state. The infectious disease affects thousands of people in Arizona every year — about two thirds of all Valley fever infections in the United States. Fulton Schools Professor Matthew Fraser will join Pierre Herckes, a professor in ASU’s School of Molecular Sciences, to lead one of the new Valley Fever Collaborative’s projects. The work will involve collecting and analyzing dust particles and other kinds of particles in the air at locations near Valley fever hot spots. Fraser and Herckes’ goal will be to determine the physical and biological characteristics of the particles and understand the nature of airborne Valley fever transmission. The results of the effort should help determine effective ways for people to avoid exposure to the disease.

  • ASU’s mechanical trees could make a dent in climate change

    ASU’s mechanical trees could make a dent in climate change

    Despite our knowledge that carbon emissions increase the growing risks from the effects of climate change that threatens the world’s environment, those emissions continue to increase. That is leading to calls to deploy carbon capture technologies sooner rather than later to help solve the problem. Among those technologies with the most promise of being effective are the mechanical trees first developed by ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, directed by Fulton Schools Professor Klaus Lackner. The system works by attracting carbon dioxide like a magnet and absorbing it like a sponge. It is then stored underground or repurposed to make various products. Gary Dirks, chairman of Carbon Collect, commercial partner of the mechanical tree project, says the increase in carbon emissions appear likely to continue, so it’s time to accelerate efforts to put mechanical trees to work as soon, and in as many places, as possible.

  • ASU student awarded inaugural carbon capture scholarship

    ASU student awarded inaugural carbon capture scholarship

    Chemical engineering and biochemistry student Riley Seminara (in center in photo) has won the Martin Hudson Scholarship for Carbon Capture and Sustainable Energy that will enable him to pursue more education and research in those areas. Carbon capture is one of the methods most touted as an effective way to combat the increase in the growing environment-threatening carbon emissions into the Earth’s atmosphere. The captured carbon is seen as potential source of renewable energy. Seminara is already conducting research in using hydrogen gas to reduce carbon dioxide accumulations. He is currently doing research with ASU’s School of Molecular Sciences Associate Professor Ryan Trovitch, who says Seminara’s knowledge of both chemistry and chemical engineering put him in a unique position to make meaningful contributions to the carbon capture field.

  • Two ASU students win Red Bull Basement Global competition for note-taking app

    Two ASU students win Red Bull Basement Global competition for note-taking app

    Fulton Schools students Brinlee Kidd and Sylvia Lopez have won the Red Bull Basement Global innovation competition for their idea that led to development of the software for Jotted, a note-taking app that helps students organize information they need for their studies. The app finds and highlights important information in class notes and also provides links to websites that can offer more context to the information in class notes. Kidd, an informatics student, and Lopez, an industrial engineering student, topped more than 180 contest applicants from around world to the earn the Red Bull prize. Once their venture is profitable, the company’s founders say a portion of the income will be invested in local communities to provide laptop computers as learning tools for young students.

    See Also: ASU Student Team Gets First Place in Red Bull-Sponsored Competition, The State Press

  • Recycling doesn’t keep plastic out of our stomachs, lungs, or blood, experts say

    Recycling doesn’t keep plastic out of our stomachs, lungs, or blood, experts say

    The longtime and widespread use of plastics as containers and in a vast number of other consumer products has resulted in growing accumulations of tons upon tons of plastics waste around the world. The outcome is that microplastics are abundant in our water, food and air — and, as researchers have found, in our bodies — including in our organs and blood. Fulton Schools Professor Rolf Halden and other environmental engineers and scientists now say that recycling efforts are falling short as an effective method to reduce our exposure to microplastics and the dangers they present for human health. Halden and fellow experts say industries must start replacing plastics with the use of less toxic materials that won’t stay in the environment over decades and even centuries. Some researchers are already producing designs for materials made from more biodegradable sources.

    See Also: Recycling won’t prevent microplastic from entering human bodies, say experts, Business Insider, April 8

  • Wastewater provides a planetwide laboratory for study of human health

    Wastewater provides a planetwide laboratory for study of human health

    Fulton Schools Professor Rolf Halden is among researchers leading in the way in advancing wastewater-based epidemiology as a diagnostic tool to provide accurate and comprehensive assessments of public health. The technique can be used to get a broad picture of communitywide behaviors that affect health, including the use of alcohol, illicit drugs and tobacco, as well as exposure to hazardous chemicals, pharmaceuticals, viruses and antibiotic-resistant microbes. In addition to infectious disease monitoring, new disease biomarkers detectable in wastewater are being developed to enable researchers to mine samples for evidence of afflictions including diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Details are in a research paper recently published in the journal Environmental International that was authored by Halden, director of ASU’s Biodesign Center for Environmental Engineering, and Fulton Schools civil engineering doctoral student Sangeet Adhikari. The article is also published in Science Daily, Technology Networks, Smart Water Magazine, TechCodex, News Medical, Verve Times, Phys.Org, Mirage News, Honest Columnist and Environmental News Network

    See Also: Bringing Wastewater Tracking to Tribal Lands to Protect Families and Elders, The Rockefeller Foundation, April 7

    Study: Wastewater Analysis is Severely Underused Method for Global Health Metrics, Laboratory Equipment, April 7

  • Valley company uses technology to create water using sunlight and air

    Valley company uses technology to create water using sunlight and air

    SOURCE Global, a company founded seven years ago by Fulton Schools Associate Professor Cody Friesen, is making progress toward its goal of providing communities a secure source of water with the novel technology Friesen developed at ASU. His hydro solar panels use thermal energy from the sun and the moisture from the atmosphere to produce clean water. SOURCE Global now operates in more than 50 countries, including communities in Dubai, South Africa, the Philippines, and the Navajo Nation. A company spokesman says the hydro panels systems — designed to work in dry, harsh climates in which water can be scarce — can last up to 15 years and create water in areas where the humidity is as low as seven percent.

    See Also: A company can make drinking water from nothing but air and sunlight, Interesting Engineering, April 20

  • Meet DALL-E, the A.I. That Draws Anything at Your Command

    Meet DALL-E, the A.I. That Draws Anything at Your Command

    New AI technology being developed would enable creating digital images by users simply by describing what they want to see. Supported by funding from Microsoft, the OpenAI artificial intelligence lab is working on technology that blends language and images to electronically generate various things in images. It’s a neural network that learns skills by analyzing large amounts of data and pinpointing patterns in thousands of pictures or other images. Such systems could help companies improve search engines, digital assistants and other common technologies, and also automate new tasks for graphic artists, programmers and other professionals. But experts like Fulton Schools Professor Subbarao Kambhampati, a computer scientist, warn of the potential to use such systems for deceptive activities, such as proliferating deep fake images or generating and spreading extensive disinformation on the internet. (Access to the full content of The New York Times is accessible only to subscribers.)

  • Artificial turf saves water, but heats considerably in direct sunlight

    Artificial turf saves water, but heats considerably in direct sunlight

    Last year, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation declared a significant water shortage in the Colorado River, one of Arizona’s major water sources. Many people reacted to calls for water conservation by replacing grass lawns with artificial turf. They found that while artificial turf did noticeably reduce their home water use, it also raised the ambient heat radiating from their yards. That’s because the materials in the turf heat up in the sunlight, and can get as hot or hotter than asphalt or concrete during the daytime, says Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Ariane Middel.  She and ASU School of Sustainability Assistant Professor Jennifer Vanos, both members of ASU’s Urban Climate Research Center, have been involved in numerous studies of the impacts of various materials — notably road pavements — and how they can intensify the urban heat island effect.

  • Interest in Electric Cars is Surging

    Interest in Electric Cars is Surging

    Rising gasoline prices are attracting increasing consumer interest in electric vehicles at a time when the advantages of electrically powered automobiles are also trending upward. Fulton Schools Research Professor Steve Polzin, whose works focuses on transportation engineering and related areas, says consumers will see more choices in the electric vehicle market and find these vehicles cost less per mile to drive than gas-powered vehicles. There are, however, still some challenges to going electric. The number of charging stations would need to increase significantly if electric vehicle ownership goes up substantially, and a current electronics industry shortage of semiconductor chips essential to electric cars and trucks could constrain the growth of the supply of new electric vehicles.

  • ASU scientists working toward better, more rapid COVID-19 tests

    ASU scientists working toward better, more rapid COVID-19 tests

    As the result of the work of ASU researchers over the past two years, three companies are moving toward commercialization of new testing tools methods to more effectively and quickly reveal if people have contracted COVID-19. One of the companies, Flex Bio Systems and Tech was co-founded by Jennifer Blain Christen, a Fulton Schools associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of ASU’s BioElectrical Systems and Technology group. She and her team now have working prototypes of small, portable test machines for saliva samples that can be read by scanners to reveal if results are positive, negative or in error for early indicators of COVID-19 infection.

  • Use a New IEEE Standard to Design a Safer Digital World For Kids

    Use a New IEEE Standard to Design a Safer Digital World For Kids

    Efforts to protect the online privacy and rights of young people using digital technologies are emerging as social media and other online products and services aimed at attracting children and teens are proliferating. One of those efforts is the Society Policy Engineering Collective, directed by Katina Michael, a professor in the Fulton Schools and ASU’s School for the Future of Innovation in Society. Michael has been working with colleagues in those schools who are involved in  the collective, and with fellow members of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or IEEE, on industry and community design standards for digital technologies and services used by youngsters. Michael, an IEEE senior member, is also chair of the organization’s standards working group. The group has developed guidelines for building age-appropriate products for youngsters that will address potential risks of digital and online services before they are deployed and will put concerns for children ahead of commercial interests.

  • Climate activism at The College

    Climate activism at The College

    In every area from the sciences and engineering to the humanities, politics and religion, ASU teachers, students and researchers are immersed in the conversation about the challenges of climate change and the potential solutions. In the Fulton Schools, with support from the National Science Foundation, Timothy Long, who is also a professor in the School of Molecular Sciences, is among researchers working on ways to either reduce, reuse or recycle all plastics. Fulton Schools Associate Professor Mathew Green, a chemical engineer and a member of Long’s research team, says if the project is able to accomplish the goal its sets for forth in its proposal, its societal impact could be an immense step in reducing a big climate change threat.

  • SPOTLIGHT: Entering the Second Half Century of HDD

    SPOTLIGHT: Entering the Second Half Century of HDD

    The construction industry publication Trenchless Works recently celebrated a half-century of advances in the Horizontal Directional Drilling, or HDD, underground construction method, beginning with an introduction written by Fulton Schools Professor Samiel Ariaratnam (pictured). On page 5 of the digital magazine, he details key accomplishments of HDD and its contributions to the evolution of the field of construction engineering. Ariaratnam, who holds the Beaver-Ames Chair of Heavy Construction at ASU, is a co-author of the “Horizontal Directional Drilling Good Practices Guidelines.” Today, Ariaratnam writes, “you can go to all corners of the world and see an HDD rig installing a critical utility for the betterment of society.” He foresees continued expansion of the HDD industry as its environmental, economic and social benefits are increasingly recognized.

March

2022
  • 4 ASU students awarded Goldwater Scholarship for excellence in STEM research

    4 ASU students awarded Goldwater Scholarship for excellence in STEM research

    Fulton Schools electrical engineering student Jasmin Falconer (top left in photo) and mechanical engineering student Katie Pascavis (bottom left) are two of the four outstanding ASU undergraduates recently selected as 2022 Goldwater Scholars. The Goldwater Scholarship is the most prestigious the United States for undergraduate researchers in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics. The scholarship program is among efforts to ensure the nation produces leading scientists and engineers. Falconer plans to earn a doctoral degree in electrical engineering and work in a national laboratory on research related to electromagnetics and radio-frequency engineering. Pascavis wants to develop water purification and reclamation technologies to increase access to potable water, especially for people in low-income countries. Pascavis is also one of four students nominated for a Udall Undergraduate Scholarship , a fellowship for students who demonstrate leadership, public service and commitment to issues involving Native American nations or to the environment.

    See Also: Four ASU Students Awarded In Nationwide STEM Scholarship, The State Press, April 14

  • Our View: Semiconductors offer a chance for Arizona to play an award-winning role

    Our View: Semiconductors offer a chance for Arizona to play an award-winning role

    In a guest column, Greater Phoenix Economic CEO Chris Camacho and Arizona Technology Council CEO Steve Zylstra urge Congress to quickly come to agreement on two key legislative bills that will help put Arizona into a leading national position in the production of computer chips. Camacho and Zystra write that the state already has the potential to attract global interest as a key hub of semiconductor chip manufacturing because of training resources that are creating a world-class talent pool in the field. They point specifically to expanded tech education offerings at ASU, which has added the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks to its Fulton Schools of Engineering. Together with the MacroTechnology Works facilities at the ASU Research Park, a fabrication center advancing research and development in the semiconductor and related fields, the engineering schools are making the university a potentially robust springboard for next-generation semiconductors. (Access to the full content of the Phoenix Business Journal online is available only to subscribers.)

  • ASU Leverages Research, Technology To Gain Funding From State Through Initiative

    ASU Leverages Research, Technology To Gain Funding From State Through Initiative

    ASU leaders and Arizona’s policymakers have formulated a New Economy Initiative that involves a multi-million-dollar investment calling for the states’ public universities to help revitalize Arizona’s economy. To do that, the universities are being given additional funding to support science, engineering and technology projects and educational programs to help foster economic growth and provide a skilled workforce that will attract more industry to Arizona. A major part of the plan focuses on expanding the Fulton Schools. At the accelerating rate at which many industries are growing, Fulton Schools Dean Kyle Squires says the engineering schools have an opportunity to boost the economy by teaching students the kinds of new and advanced skills that major tech-based industries increasingly need to be successful.

  • Federal public transportation mask mandate continues while most have been lifted

    Federal public transportation mask mandate continues while most have been lifted

    While mask mandates enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have been lifted in many public gathering places, the federal mandates remain in effect for most public transit systems — especially ground transportation such as buses, subways, commuter and long-distance passenger rail lines. Several factors will likely determine the timelines for when officials will consider ending those mandates, says Fulton Schools Research Professor Steve Polzin, a civil engineer who specializes in transportation. Overall, transportation planners will be confronted with a number of changes in the public transit picture that have resulted from the long pandemic period, he says. It’s likely that as much as 10 percent of the pre-COVID workforce won’t be returning to offices. Other trends show people may choose alternatives to public transit and that concern about urban crime could keep riders away from mass transit systems, Polzin says. (Photo: Pixabay)

  • A new approach to robotics

    A new approach to robotics

    For this coming National Robotics Week (April 2-10) — an annual event to showcase innovations in robotics — Fulton Schools researchers have a lot of new advances to put in the spotlight.  Assistant Professor Heni Ben Amor’s Interactive Robotics Laboratory is making progress human-robot interaction, robot autonomy and machine learning. Assistant Professor Daniel Aukes’ IDEA Lab is developing fish-inspired robots that can perform vital work in extreme environments. Associate Professor Wenlong Zhang’s Robotics and Intelligent Systems (RISE) Lab is making drones that mimic bird-like flight. Professor Aviral Shrivastava’s Make Programming Simple Lab is helping to improve autonomous vehicles. Research by other faculty members is expanding the potential for the use of robots as medical assistants, as well as improving the capabilities of bio-inspired robotics technologies and robotic exoskeletons created in the Human Machine Integration Lab that promise to assist workers in many industries.

  • Yuma company working to perfect complicated process of recycling solar panels

    Yuma company working to perfect complicated process of recycling solar panels

    The Arizona company We Recycle Solar is focusing on recycling the materials used in solar energy panels. An ASU research team led by Fulton Schools Professor Meng Tao is aiding such efforts by developing ways to perfect the recycling process by recovering every material, including lead, from old solar panels. His goals also include making recycling cost-effective and building a pilot plant to test the recycling processes on a commercial scale. In addition, Natalie Click, a Fulton Schools materials science and engineering doctoral student and Tao’s research assistant, is focusing on increasing materials recovery rates for lead, an extremely toxic metal, in solar energy panels, so it can be reused as solder and other products, or put back into new solar panels.The article is also published on Tucson.com and Informed Consent.

  • US News ranks 13 ASU graduate programs in top 10 nationwide, 39 in the top 20

    US News ranks 13 ASU graduate programs in top 10 nationwide, 39 in the top 20

    The Fulton Schools environmental engineering and industrial engineering graduate programs are ranked among the top 20 in the nation in their fields in the recently released U.S. News & World Report Rankings. The environmental engineering program tied for No. 16. The industrial engineering program is No. 18. In addition, aerospace engineering and computer engineering both tied for No. 27. Civil engineering tied for No. 30, while electrical engineering tied for No. 34 and materials engineering tied for No. 35. Mechanical engineering tied for No. 41, chemical engineering tied for No. 48 and computer science tied for No 49. Fulton Schools engineering graduate programs were ranked No. 40 overall, the highest ever overall ranking.

  • Bill Gates and Blackrock Are Backing the Start-Up Behind Hydropanels That Make Water Out of Thin Air

    Bill Gates and Blackrock Are Backing the Start-Up Behind Hydropanels That Make Water Out of Thin Air

    Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures, along with the BlackRockDuke Energy and Lightsmith Group companies are investing in Source Global, whose CEO is Fulton Schools Associate Professor Cody Friesen. His company has developed solar energy hydropanels that can draw water from moisture in the air. He invented the panels in 2014 through his research in the Fulton Schools. Using the sun’s heat, the system converts molecules into liquid water, which is collected in a reservoir inside the panel and then released as pure water. The hydropanels are currently installed in 52 countries in hundreds of separate projects. The technology enables water to be produced through the panels installed at homes, schools and throughout communities, Friesen says. The World Health Organization estimates that half the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas in the near future, which will provide a large market for ventures that can produce water on site instead of through large utility infrastructure systems, Friesen says.

    See Also: Bill Gates backs an Arizona-based startup that makes water out of thin air, Interesting Engineering, March 29

    SOURCE Global Isn’t Publicly Traded, but Its Tech Will Be in High Demand, Market Realist, Market Realist, March 29

  • Robotic Arms: Merging Technology with Healthcare

    Robotic Arms: Merging Technology with Healthcare

    Next-generation robotics and automation technologies are emerging to promise further advances in biomechatronic arms and legs. Fulton Schools Professor Marco Santello is among biomedical engineers leading efforts to improve prosthetic technology. He is developing SoftHand Pro, the first prosthetic that will combine soft robotic technologies and natural biomechanics of the human hand to help restore functionality. Other similar types of prosthetics are being developed to replace ankles and feet, knees, legs and arms. The most successful of the new prosthetic technologies achieve a close coordination of robotic limbs that work in coordination with human brain signals. Santello is collaborating with Mayo Clinic researchers on new designs for technology that integrates biology and robots. Read more about this work.

  • Microplastics discovered in human blood are ‘unsettling.’ Scientists are trying to figure out whether they’re harmful.

    Microplastics discovered in human blood are ‘unsettling.’ Scientists are trying to figure out whether they’re harmful.

    Engineers and scientists have been warning that plastics waste has increasingly been making its way across larger expanses of land and water throughout much of the world. And it’s no longer accumulating only in the environment but in our bodies. That is the latest warning from environmental engineer and Fulton Schools Professor Rolf Halden and others who have been tracking the growing accumulations of discarded plastics. Halden, director of ASU’s Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, is among the experts spreading the word that microplastics are in our food, water and air, and that now there is evidence plastic polymers are getting into the human bloodstream. The effects on our health of microplastics in our blood is yet to be understood. So, the news about the increasing presence of plastics inside us is eliciting calls for more research to assess the potential dangers.

  • CDC’s wastewater surveillance system serves as early COVID detection

    CDC’s wastewater surveillance system serves as early COVID detection

    A wastewater surveillance system launched by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control is proving to be effective in predicting trends in the spread of COVID-19. But there are challenges to putting the system to use in rural communities where many households use septic systems to collect wastewater. This means the water doesn’t go to municipal sewer facilities where it is available for testing by surveillance programs. In some areas, a large percentage of the wastewater from the population is out of reach for these programs, including Native American tribal groups in the western U.S. Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Otakuye Conroy-Ben is an environmental engineer who works with these groups. She points out some of the complexities involved in collecting and sharing data gathered from these sovereign native communities. The article is also published in America’s Triangle Newshub.

     

  • How much of the heat can we blame on the heat island?

    How much of the heat can we blame on the heat island?

    Climate change is clearly evident but also complex. So, while the scientific verification continues to accumulate, there are still questions about precisely how much impact various factors have on creating and/or intensifying changing climate conditions — especially when it comes to rising heat. Research points to the urban heat island effect brought on by increasing amounts of concrete and asphalt being used as urban areas grow. Greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere — mostly by burning fossil fuels — are also a major source of higher temperatures. Whatever the case, Fulton Schools Professor Patrick Phelan says reducing energy usage of is one solution to the urban heat buildup. Phelan directs a partnership involving a U.S. Department of Energy project and ASU’s Industrial Assessment Center to train engineering students to evaluate how manufacturing companies could improve the efficiency of their machinery to reduce energy usage.  (Access to the full content of the Arizona Republic online is available only to subscribers.)

  • Cool Pavement Program Earns Innovative Transportation Solutions Award

    Cool Pavement Program Earns Innovative Transportation Solutions Award

    Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Ariane Middel is among two ASU faculty members working with the Phoenix Street Transportation Department’s Cool Pavement Program, which recently won the 2022 Innovative Transportation Solutions Project of the Year Award from WTS International, an organization dedicated to advancing women in the transportation industry. The program is working on ways to reduce the urban heat island effect in the city through the use of street pavements with coatings that help to mitigate a rise in nighttime temperatures that can result in more energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollution. Middel and ASU Assistant Professor Jennifer Vanos led the cool pavement project’s research and data analysis work. Middel is on the faculty of the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, one of the seven Fulton Schools, and the School of Arts, Media and Engineering, a collaborative of the Fulton Schools and ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.

  • Web 3.0: Here’s what it is and how it will impact you

    Web 3.0: Here’s what it is and how it will impact you

    Web 1.0 brought us the internet, providing digital information that was searchable. Web 2.0 brought interactivity, the ability to stream content and control its presentation, games we could play, and ways to comment on internet content. Now, Web 3.0 will open up a whole new realm, says Fulton Schools Professor Dragan Boscovic, director of ASU’s Blockchain Research Lab and technical director of ASU’s Center for Assured and Scalable Data Engineering. This big evolutionary step provides us data ownership — enabling stakeholders involved in various internet business ecosystems to retain control over their data and create new business models focused on monitoring that data, Boscovic says. Business competition and new regulatory legislation responding to the new Web 3.0 environment will definitely reshape our tech-based commerce. Boscovic sees the possibility of Web 3.0 accelerating the use of cryptocurrency and eventually leading to a new form of economy driven by these next-generation internet capabilities.

  • ISTB7: A building bridging our ancient past to our thriving future

    ISTB7: A building bridging our ancient past to our thriving future

    The new Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 7 on ASU’s Tempe campus reflects a purposeful integration of innovative construction, architecture, engineering and design in providing a visually compelling edifice carefully shaped and equipped to serve the varied educational and research purposes for which it was conceived. Barzin Mobasher (at right in photo), a Fulton Schools professor of civil and environmental engineering, is one of the skilled professionals who have created ISTB7’s impressive environment. Mobasher had a role in the selection of the building’s glass-fiber-reinforced concrete panels that form the building’s shell and help to make it energy efficient. Other aspects of his work on ISTB7 are key components of the building’s structural resilience and overall environmental sustainability.

  • The Solar Tech Check: PV in space, and thin films stride forward

    The Solar Tech Check: PV in space, and thin films stride forward

    A three-year research project has resulted in discovery of a new way to both measure and track the mechanisms causing voltage loss in electrical devices. Fulton Schools Associate Professor Zachary Holman and Assistant Research Professor Arthur Onno, who led the project, were on the team investigating the causes of voltage loss in cadmium selenide telluride thin films. The findings published in the research journal Nature Energy offer a way to achieve higher efficiencies in the performance of technologies and materials, including silicon and perovskites, that have industrial applications. Zachary says the group has already replicated the measurement technique to enable it to be used by two manufacturers of solar energy cells and modules.

  • Headed back to the office? Make sure your building has flushed out its water.

    Headed back to the office? Make sure your building has flushed out its water.

    People returning to offices and other workplaces that haven’t been occupied for long periods of time while employees worked remotely should be wary about what comes out of the faucets in those buildings. Metals and microorganisms that may cause harm are likely to have built up in the plumbing of places that have been vacant, warns Fulton Schools Associate Professor Treavor Boyer, an environmental engineer. Water that stagnates in a building can stagnate and corrode the plumbing, causing metals such copper and lead — which can be particularly harmful — to leach out of the system. Boyer has done research during the COVID-19 pandemic lockouts in which he examined the long-term effects on water in schools that had been closed for months. Boyer says such studies could provide ideas for better protecting buildings from facing water contamination problems when they sit empty.

  • Factories of the Future

    Factories of the Future

    Attracting more high-tech industry ventures to Arizona and keeping manufacturing in the state on the cutting edge are two primary aspects of ASU’s role in the New Economy Initiative. To pursue those goals, the university is building five science and technology centers. One is a center at ASU’s Polytechnic campus that will focus largely on a combination of manufacturing, automation and data engineering projects. Dhruv Bhate, an associate professor in The Polytechnic School, one of the seven Fulton Schools, talks about the broad range of varying technologies and systems on which work at the new center will focus. Advanced robotics and materials performance will be in the spotlight, as well as additive manufacturing, 3D printing, nanotechnology, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, Bhate says.

    See Also: Creating the Future of Arizona, ASU News, January 13
    https://news.asu.edu/20220113-arizona-impact-creating-future-arizona-new-economy-initiative

  • America once dominated the semiconductor industry. Here’s why we must win again

    America once dominated the semiconductor industry. Here’s why we must win again

    America’s vulnerabilities in public health care, the global supply chain and technological areas like semiconductor manufacturing have been exposed by the strains of the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors, says Arizona State University President Michael Crow. He traces history over recent decades that reveals how the country slipped from its pinnacle of leadership in high-tech development and market dominance. But opportunities are emerging for the United States to reassert its dominance in the industries that can drive progress in many critical areas, especially in economic development, Crow asserts. The key is for the nation’s leaders to act decisively in supporting the investments, entrepreneurship and education to achieve a new American renaissance. ASU, with the recent opening of the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, one of the seven Fulton Schools of Engineering — the nation’s largest engineering school — is ready to help make a resurgence happen, Crow says. (Full access to the content of the Arizona Republic is available only to subscribers.)

  • Validating NFTs

    Validating NFTs

    Last year’s explosion in the value of the market for non-fungible digital tokens, or NFTs, from a trading value of $100 million to more than $20 billion, reflects both the opportunities and risks of the booming trends in a world of “cryptocurrency wallets.” The promise of the blockchain technology that provides NFT buyers security with proof of ownership of authenticity is also being dampened by the rise in scams and fraud in the wake of NFT market growth. But Blockchain experts like Fulton Schools Professor Dragan Boscovic, director of the ASU Blockchain Lab, say a new technology called distributed key generation, or DKG, which is used to automate NFT’s access control on the blockchain, can create a re-encryption key for an NFT owner and issue it to the network. That system and similar tools and services being developed for the blockchain can restore much of the confidence in dealing in the digital currency market, Boscovic says.

  • As cities across Arizona convert to electric buses, what’s stopping ASU?

    As cities across Arizona convert to electric buses, what’s stopping ASU?

    Some of Arizona’s leading cities are trying to convert their fleets of buses for public transportation to low-emission or zero-emission fuel sources — such as electric power — to help the cause of promoting environmentally sustainable transportation. But Arizona State University isn’t stepping up to join in those efforts. High costs and short battery lifespans are among reasons the university isn’t making the conversion. Fulton Schools Research Professor Steve Polzin, a civil engineer who specializes in transportation, says schools and consumers may be hesitant because battery technologies are changing quickly. Consumers and transit services may be wary of investing in what will become obsolete technology when the next waves of a new and improved batteries and fuel sources emerge, Polzin says.

  • ’98 CHS alumna at the forefront of neural injuries research

    ’98 CHS alumna at the forefront of neural injuries research

    Research contributions to neural tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, nanoparticle therapeutics and discovery of biomarkers in injured brains led recently to Fulton Schools Associate Professor Sarah Stabenfeldt’s election to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows. Elevation to that status in her profession puts her among the top two percent of medical and biological engineers in the United States. The honor was noted by a local newspaper based in Edwardsville, Illinois, where Stabenfeldt graduated from Collinsville High School. Stabenfeldt’s work has earned awards and support from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Arizona Biomedical Research Commission — undoubtedly making her one of the high school’s most accomplished graduates.

February

2022
  • In the MIX: ASU looks to the future with new emerging technologies building, faculty, programs

    In the MIX: ASU looks to the future with new emerging technologies building, faculty, programs

    Experts say the future will bring our experiences in the realms of work, education, culture and other aspects of life into ever more seamless immersions in both the physical and virtual worlds. For example, Assistant Professor Robert LiKamWa recently led students in demonstrating the use of virtual reality to explore climate change and in presenting a class project called Dreamscape Learn, a fully immersive virtual reality learning system. Professor Pavan Turaga points to ASU’s new Media and Immersive Experience (MIX) Center as an example of the movement of the arts, social studies, science, engineering, media technologies and more into increasingly connected immersive environments. Turaga is director of the Schools of Arts, Media and Engineering, in which LiKamwa is a faculty member, and both are also on the faculty of the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, one of the seven Fulton Schools — the kinds of dual positions that reflect the merging of academic disciplines and professional fields being forged in the evolving world of immersive realities. 

  • Hormone and gut bacteria link may guide better treatment for menopause symptoms

    Hormone and gut bacteria link may guide better treatment for menopause symptoms

    Fulton Schools Professor Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown (at left in photo), director of ASU’s Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes, is already widely known for how her studies of the human gut have revealed information that is advancing research on treatments for autism. Now she and ASU and Mayo Clinic collaborators have found evidence that gut bacteria that are affected by hormones can spark changes in metabolism and brain function. One result of that finding may be opening a way toward progress in effective ways to treat the symptoms of menopause and to generally improve women’s health. Along with fellow researcher Heather Bimonte-Nelson (at right in photo), a professor in ASU’s Department of Psychology, Krajmalnik-Brown sees the potential for a deeper understanding of the interactions of microbial communities with gut chemistry leading to various kinds of therapies beyond those related to menopause.

  • ASU students ‘jam’ with industry experts on the future of 5G

    ASU students ‘jam’ with industry experts on the future of 5G

    ASU’s Learning Futures Collaboratory now offers Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband indoors — a next generation of broadband that opens up a many new opportunities for students, faculty, researchers and local organizations to explore technology at faster speeds than ever before. Recently, ASU students seeking degrees in a wide range of fields gathered for a “jam-style” event at Learning Futures, concluding with seven student-led teams pitching new ideas on how to apply 5G and wireless technology to enhance solutions addressing challenges in education, health care and the environment. More than a dozen experts from industry and ASU provided mentorship and insights to the students, and trained students on the use of 5G technologies, including one of the judges for the event, Robert LiKamWa, an assistant professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, one of the seven Fulton Schools.

  • Arizona State And Carbon Collect Bring Innovation To Sustainability

    Arizona State And Carbon Collect Bring Innovation To Sustainability

    Carbon capture technology like the MechanicalTree system developed by Fulton Schools Professor Klaus Lackner and his team at ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions is viewed as one of the most promising tools for halting global warming that threatens the world’s environmental health and sustainability. An interview with the CEO of Carbon Collect, one of the more prominent companies stepping into the fledgling carbon capture industry, looks at the economic, engineering and governmental regulatory challenges of deploying MechanicalTree systems in ways the will maximize their effectiveness in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while also managing costs and providing incentives for long-established sectors of industry to join efforts to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions or mitigate their harmful impacts.

    See Also: Is Climate Restoration the Key to Stopping Climate Change, Interesting Engineering, February 11

  • 5 Best Machine Learning & AI Podcasts

    5 Best Machine Learning & AI Podcasts

    Among futurist Antoine Tardiff’s selections for the best podcasts exploring the intriguing innovations being made in artificial intelligence and machine learning technology is “Machine Learning with Jay Shah.” A Fulton Schools Graduate Research Assistant and a computer scientist, Shah has gone into depth on the inventive deep learning models being used to discover biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease and to advance research on aging. In interviews with leading experts about their various applications of machine learning techniques — in both industry and academia — Shah explores and provides insights about some of the most exciting developments in the field.

  • How Russian cyberattacks could paralyze other countries as the nation invades Ukraine

    How Russian cyberattacks could paralyze other countries as the nation invades Ukraine

    In the wake of Russia’s aggressive moves on Ukraine and harsh sanctions the United States and other countries are imposing on Russia for its actions, security experts are warning of ways Russian leaders might try to retaliate. That push-back most likely would include cyberattacks on the sanctioning countries, primarily the U.S., says Nadya Bliss, executive director of ASU’s Global Security Initiative and a professor of practice in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, one of the seven Fulton Schools. Those efforts could include attempts to breach other countries’ cybersecurity infrastructures, disrupt communications and possibly launch misinformation efforts to attempt to influence public perceptions of geopolitical events and issues. Bliss stresses that information technology providers and government agencies should shore up their cyber defense operations and strengthen security backup systems.

  • Ukraine-Russia Border Crisis

    Ukraine-Russia Border Crisis

    How are events likely to play out politically, economically and historically in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? What should be the response of the United States, and what ramifications and concerns might the invasion raise for Americans? Fulton Schools Professor Brad Allenby (pictured), co-chair of the Weaponized Narrative Initiative at ASU’s Center on the Future of War, talks about the complexities of the situation and warns about the risks involved in the ways in which the U.S. could get entangled in the conflict. One possibility, Allenby says, is that Russia could retaliate against the imposition of strong economic sanctions by the U.S. and its allies by launching cyber warfare attacks aimed at disrupting other countries’ economies, financial markets and perhaps even energy markets.

  • ASU to help bring new high-wage jobs to Arizona

    ASU to help bring new high-wage jobs to Arizona

    Arizona’s New Economy Initiative  is designed to help ensure the state’s leaders, communities and residents are ready to take advantage of opportunitie to boost the resilience of the state’s economy and ensure opportunities for prosperity for Arizona’s population. ASU will play a major role in fulfilling the initiative’s aspirations. Sally Morton, executive vice president of ASU Knowledge Enterprise, says the university will focus on efforts to facilitate and expand the state’s engineering and technology enterprises. That will involve producing university graduates with the leadership and innovation skills those industries are seeking. The plan includes developing science and technology centers as “intellectual hubs” to bring faculty, industry partners and students together to discuss real-world problems and the future of the Arizona economy.

  • The cost of algae-based biofuel is still too high

    The cost of algae-based biofuel is still too high

    Biofuels made from algae are seen as one of cleaner, more versatile and efficient alternatives to our petroleum-guzzling cars that release harmful gases and pollutants into the environment. Much progress has been made in developing methods to produce and use algae-based biofuels to power our vehicles and to move us closer to a clean energy economy. But one big hurdle persists. The cost of producing algae-based biofuels remains high. The Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation, whose leadership and research staff include Fulton Schools faculty members, is making progress in creating and using algae-based technology to produce renewable products such as biofuels, plastic alternatives and nutraceuticals. Still, many of the processes used in those operations can require big capital costs. So, researchers are now adding cost-efficiency to their list of goals in efforts to maintain the promising potential for algae engineering to become a robust source of both technological and environmental advancements.

  • How Computers See Entangled Nature

    How Computers See Entangled Nature

    In this podcast episode’s in-depth discussion, Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Ted Pavlic, associate director of research for The Biomimicry Center at ASU, describes his research on natural systems, such as social insect colonies, and how these explorations can lead to development of engineering solutions. He discusses, for instance, what a deep understanding of large-scale patterns in nature can teach us that might point the way to dealing with large-scale biological dysfunctions like cancer and neurological injuries. Pavlic also elaborates on what mathematical models of fundamental decision-making processes have in common with both natural and engineered systems, and how the various kinds of engineering problems on which his work focuses can in turn give rise to meaningful new lines of scientific inquiry about biological systems.

  • New technology fused with photosynthetic life offers path to green energy

    New technology fused with photosynthetic life offers path to green energy

    Fulton Schools Professor Bruce Rittman, director of ASU’s Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, and Associate Professor Cesar Torres, a chemical engineer, have roles in collaborative work with other leading ASU researchers who are tapping into nature’s processes to develop new sources of sustainable green energy. The group has created a microbial electro-photosynthetic system that uses a genetically engineered microbe to accommodate significantly high light intensities and continue photosynthetic activity without doing environmental harm. The system can provide a bridge between artificial energy and natural photosynthesis, offering a green pathway to the production of a broad range of products — including fuels, agrochemicals, therapeutics, cosmetics, plastics and specialty chemicals, as well as human and animal supplements.

  • Developing public interest technology by engaging with and empowering communities

    Developing public interest technology by engaging with and empowering communities

    Katina Michael’s work includes advocacy for development of new technologies designed first and foremost to serve the public interest — and encouraging new research to achieve that goal. Michael (pictured) recently presented her philosophy for the design of technology at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. A professor in the Fulton Schools, as well as in ASU’s School for the Future of Innovation in Society in the College of Global Futures, Michael wants to see the application of “socio-technical design” at the core of what is reflected in development of new technologies to help ensure they will truly perform in the best “human-centered” interests of the users. That will mean giving communities a major role in the process of establishing guidelines and priorities for the capabilities of new technologies.

  • Examining The Scope And Scale Of PG&E’s Plan To Bury 10,000 Miles Of Power Lines

    Examining The Scope And Scale Of PG&E’s Plan To Bury 10,000 Miles Of Power Lines

    Sam Ariaratnam, a Fulton Schools professor of construction engineering, joins a discussion about the extremely extensive scale of plans by the major utility company Pacific Gas & Electric to put about 10,000 miles of power lines underground in northern California. Numerous engineering, economic and environmental challenges will be involved in project the company hopes to complete over 10 years — at a cost of more than $20 billion. There are debates about the benefits versus the risks of burying power lines rather than suspending the lines overhead on utility poles and towers. The project would be one of the most complex endeavors ever in underground drilling and construction, Ariaratnam says. The company touts underground power line construction as a solution that would prevent the risks of electrical system fires. (Scroll down the webpage to find this news podcast.)

  • Dangerous driving: Why one stretch of I-10 has the most accidents

    Dangerous driving: Why one stretch of I-10 has the most accidents

    A three-mile stretch of the Interstate 10 freeway in the Phoenix area has recently been the scene of more accidents than any other location on Arizona’s highways. That’s not surprising to Professor Ram Pendyala, director of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of the seven Fulton Schools. Pendyala, who expertise includes transportation engineering, says the junction of three major freeways in the area makes this among the places with the heaviest traffic congestion in the state. The layered arrangement of the freeways at the junction, along with the multiple access ramps, heightens the complexities of driving at this “Mini-Stack” interchange, he says, adding that the combination of economics and limited space — plus a increasing number of drivers resulting from the Phoenix metro area’s growing population — are key factors in making the junction a high-risk driving location. But Pendyala says gathering more data about the traffic accidents could better determine the specific causes of the numerous mishaps and might reveal how to reduce them.

  • 3 ASU students selected for Brooke Owens Fellowship

    3 ASU students selected for Brooke Owens Fellowship

    Only 51 students have been selected from among more than 1,000 who applied to participate in this year’s Brooke Owens Fellowship program, which annually provides undergraduate women and other gender minorities internship positions with leading aerospace organizations. Among three ASU students selected for the program’s class of 2022 is Fulton Schools mechanical engineering student Sierra Malmberg (at right in photo). She will do a 12-week internship with SpaceX, an aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services provider. Malmberg will work in a Starship booster engineering role.

     

  • Learning to Move with Rob Gray

    Learning to Move with Rob Gray

    A Fulton Schools associate professor of human systems engineering applies the concepts and techniques of his field to the study of optimal ways to learn, develop and train to improve physical and athletic skills. In a recent podcast, Rob Gray talks about his recent book, “How We Learn To Move,” and the intricate perceptual-motor abilities involved in enhancing human movement. Gray translates the technical language used by scientists, engineers and medical experts into descriptions that offer audiences not trained in those professions practical advice on mastering the movements required to excel in sports and other endeavors involving dexterous physicality.  

  • Scientists want to stop the next pandemic before it starts. Here are the tests they’re building to do it

    Scientists want to stop the next pandemic before it starts. Here are the tests they’re building to do it

    Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Chao Wang and his Graduate Research Associate Md Ashif Ikbal are among scientists and engineers experimenting with new ways to test for viruses that could prevent future pandemics like the one resulting from the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. A recently released study details a design by Wang and his lab team for a new kind of technology to detect pathogens that the researchers says is more efficient and accurate than existing techniques. Wang, Ikbal and their colleagues stress that the threat of new viruses is becoming more urgent as human activity increasing encroaches on wild spaces around the world, which leads to deforestation and biodiversity loss. Those factors could result in the emergence of viral strains for which there would not be effective methods to test for and stop the spread of infections. (Access to much of the content on the Arizona Republic website is available only to subscribers.)

    See Also: Researchers make cheap, portable nanosensor for disease detection, KJZZ (NPR), Feb 7

    Novel nanoanibiotics kill bacteria without harming healthy cells, Paradigm, February 9

    Simple, Inexpensive, Fast and Accurate Nano-sensors Pinpoint Infectious Diseases, Dr. Miller’s RMM Blog, February 6

  • Out of chaos, excellence

    Out of chaos, excellence

    Ying-Cheng Lai’s path to an elite faculty position at ASU has been chaotic — in a manner of speaking. Lai, who teaches in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, one of the seven Fulton Schools, was recently named an ASU Regents Professor. Lai (at left in photo, with students) earned the high honor in large part for his outstanding accomplishments as a chaos theorist. Chaos theory is a major force in modern advances in physics, quantum mechanics and complex systems that is being increasingly applied not only to science and engineering but to fields like sociology and ecology. Lai is internationally recognized for his research in the field and has attracted more than $12 million in federal funding for his research.

  • Bill would allow veterans and their families easier access to in-state tuition rates

    Bill would allow veterans and their families easier access to in-state tuition rates

    Arizona’s Legislature looks likely to pass a bill to make the path to college less challenging for U.S. military veterans. The measure would remove the barrier of requiring veterans to wait three years after the time of service to use military education benefits. The legislation also calls for changes making it easier for veterans of the armed forces to qualify for in-state tuition rates. Fulton Schools Professor Brad Allenby, founding chair of ASU’s Consortium for Emerging Technologies, Military Operations and National Security, says the new policy falls in line with ASU’s mission to help make higher education easier to access for all potential students. It would also boost acknowledgement of ASU’s as one of the more veteran-friendly universities, Allen says.

  • Arizona State University teams up with City of Mesa on pilot project to remove greenhouse gases with algae

    Arizona State University teams up with City of Mesa on pilot project to remove greenhouse gases with algae

    ASU research centers led by Fulton Schools faculty members are helping one of Arizona’s larger municipalities with the engineering involved in a pilot recycling project that uses algae to remove greenhouses gases. The project site in the city of Mesa is a wastewater treatment plant — one that like many other such facilities emits carbon dioxide and methane, which are among greenhouse gases accumulating in the atmosphere and contributing to global warming and other troubling climate changes. ASU’s Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, directed by Professor Bruce Rittmann, and the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, directed by Professor Klaus Lackner and associate research director Justin Flory, are teaming up on the project they hope will provide a model for environmental sustainability for other wastewater plant operations to emulate.

  • New London engineering school ‘will dare to be different’

    New London engineering school ‘will dare to be different’

    A deliberately daring new kind of engineering education is the boldly stated aspiration of the The Engineering and Design Institute in London, or TEDI-London. With a focus on project-driven degree programs in global design engineering, the institute is a partnership that will combine the resources of Arizona State University, King’s College London and UNSW Sydney, in Australia, to help solve an array of pressing global challenges. TEDI-London’s dean and chief executive, Judy Raper (pictured), talks about the school’s strong commitment to an unswerving thrust into unconventional approaches to learning engineering and creatively applying its guiding principles. The founding of the institute has been supported through an alliance involving the Fulton Schools and the aforementioned schools in Sydney and London. (Access to the full story is available by registering or subscribing to the Times Higher Education online.) Read more: ASU helps launch a new project-based engineering program in London

  • Microwaving Styrofoam can cause chemicals to leech into your food — here’s why you should use glass instead

    Microwaving Styrofoam can cause chemicals to leech into your food — here’s why you should use glass instead

    Microwaving some kinds of containers, including cups, can accelerate the chemical leaching process, which triggers the movement of chemicals out of plastic containers and into food, says Fulton Schools Professor Rolf Halden, director of ASU’s Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services backs him up on that warning, especially when containers are made from expanded polystyrene foams — plastics made from tiny beads that are heated and molded into a specific shape. Styrene, a chemical in those foams, is considered a “reasonably anticipated human carcinogen.” Halden recommends heating food or drinks in a microwave-safe container made of glass. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also suggests microwave-safe plastic and ceramic as suitable choices for microwaving. 

  • Sundt names new president of its western industrial group

    Sundt names new president of its western industrial group

    Cade Rowley (pictured), who earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from ASU in 1998, has been promoted to president of the Industrial Group-West of Sundt Construction, one of the 100 largest construction companies in the United States. He will lead business development, preconstruction and operations for the company’s construction work throughout the western U.S. Rowley, who joined Sundt as a field engineer after graduation from ASU, most recently was senior vice president overseeing the company’s transportation and heavy civil work throughout the Southwest and Intermountain regions. His teams have built several billion dollars’ worth of projects.

  • ASU names 3 faculty as 2022 President’s Professors

    ASU names 3 faculty as 2022 President’s Professors

    Two of ASU’s three newest President’s Professors are Fulton Schools faculty members. Andrea Richa (at right in photo), a professor of computer science, and Thomas Sugar, a professor of mechanical engineering, join those who have been given one of the most prestigious designations bestowed by the university. The title recognizes honorees at the forefront of innovation, entrepreneurship and inclusion. Richa’s accomplishments include an impressive number of peer-reviewed research articles, conference proceedings and four book chapters, many focusing on her expertise in self-organizing particle systems. Richa has served students through her leadership on curriculum and graduate studies program committees. Sugar has been involved in numerous projects that have advanced many aspects of his engineering field. He has authored or co-authored an exceedingly high number of articles published in research journals and is especially known for his teaching of studio-based classes geared to solving real-world challenges through project-based curriculum design.

  • Fast and accurate nanosensors pinpoint infectious diseases

    Fast and accurate nanosensors pinpoint infectious diseases

    A significant advance in the battle infectious diseases has come from research by Chao Wang, a Fulton Schools assistant professor of electrical, computer and energy engineering, and collaborators at the University of Washington, Seattle. Their technique called Nano2RED, is a twist conventional high-accuracy tests relying on complex testing protocols and expensive readout systems. An innovative Rapid and Electronic Readout process developed in the Wang lab delivers test results, which are detectable as a color change in the sample solution and record the data through inexpensive semiconductor elements such as LEDs and photodetectors. It can be developed and produced at a very low cost, deployed within weeks or days after an outbreak and made available for around 1 cent per test. Wang is a researcher in the Biodesign Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics at ASU.The news has also been reported in LabMedica, Verve Times, Technology Networks, Science Daily, Honest Columnist, The Science Times, MDLinx, Knowledia, Nanowerk, Medically Prime.Com, Mirage News, Phys.Org, Nano Market, ASU Biodesign Institute News, RapidMicroMethods, NovLink.co,  KJZZ (NPR) Fronteras

  • NSF grant to support FIU antenna design that will deliver complex data faster

    NSF grant to support FIU antenna design that will deliver complex data faster

    Florida International University Professor Stavros Georgakopoulos, who earned his doctoral degree in electrical engineering at ASU in 2001, is working on designs for advanced antenna technology that will be capable of delivering more complex data in shorter amounts of time. The project has recently received support through a $365,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to FIU’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Georgakopoulo is director of the university’s Transforming Antennas Center and the RF Communications mm-Waves and Terahertz Lab. Under his leadership, FIU has received numerous research grants from the military, government and private sectors. 

  • Treatment for autism symptoms earns ASU researchers patent

    Treatment for autism symptoms earns ASU researchers patent

    A new therapy developed by Fulton Schools Professors Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown and James Adams offers hope to those with autism spectrum disorder who often are afflicted with chronic gastrointestinal symptoms associated with the disorder. The therapy, called Microbiota Transplant Therapy, has been granted a patent by the U.S. Patent Office, which is an important step in developing new medication that would be approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating the core symptoms of autism. The patent approval also opens the door for pharmaceutical companies to invest in conducting further clinical trials on the new treatment. Krajmalnik-Brown, Adams and their team in the ASU Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes will continue their own tests of the treatment with both adults and children with autism.

January

2022
  • The next Silicon Valley? These founders say this Arizona city is the best place to build a startup

    The next Silicon Valley? These founders say this Arizona city is the best place to build a startup

    More than 20 cities and towns are on the map in and around the Phoenix metropolitan area, which is considered a hot spot for potential business startups — and entrepreneurship experts says the most promising municipality in the area is Tempe. One reason cited for that conclusion is that Tempe is the home of Arizona State University’s largest campus and has become a nexus for the spinout of hundreds of startups and other business expansion ventures. The development of that trend is attributed in large part to the high numbers of new and well-skilled engineers graduating each year from the Fulton Schools, one of the largest engineering schools in the United States. (Access to the full story is available only to Bizjournals.com subscribers. Nonsubscribers can create a free account to see news content.)

  • Fortifying the foundations of cybersecurity

    Fortifying the foundations of cybersecurity

    Cyberattacks on our information technology systems have become almost constant, as well as increasingly sophisticated and more difficult to defend against. In response to the growing threat, cybersecurity experts are developing more comprehensive and integrated responses to help keep professionals and the general public from being victimized. The efforts include work by ASU’s new Center for Cybersecurity and Trusted Foundations, directed by Fulton Schools Associate Professor Adam Doupé. The center now joins the ASU Global Security Initiative’s Center for Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics and the Cybersecurity Education Consortium in the university’s endeavors to holistically address cybersecurity challenges through research, education and upskilling.

  • New meta-analysis explores potential environmental causes of ALS

    New meta-analysis explores potential environmental causes of ALS

    Much about the devastating neuromuscular disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS — and also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease — remains a mystery. But researchers have been learning more about the factors the underlie the complexities of the disorder — some new knowledge pointing to a range of environmental agents as possible risks factors. Research by Fulton Schools Professor Rolf Halden and two doctoral students in Halden’s Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering is focused on exploring environmental influences potentially linked to the disease. Using rigorous quantitative methods, they are examining the complicated interplay of various environmental and physical dynamics in the hope of revealing a distinct pattern of causality related to the disease.

  • ASU commitment to innovation front and center at Arizona Capitol

    ASU commitment to innovation front and center at Arizona Capitol

    At the annual “Day at the Capitol” showcase, Arizona lawmakers got a wide-ranging overview of the engineering, science, civics and humanities research being done at ASU. Students and faculty members gave state government leaders some show-and-tell education and updates about the university’s many endeavors to make innovative advances in fields such as medicine and health care, environmental and resource management, approaches to policy making, and space exploration — among many other areas. The Fulton Schools was among the university’s various schools, colleges, research centers and programs most prominently represented at the event.

  • Reducing polarization is key to stabilizing democracy

    Reducing polarization is key to stabilizing democracy

    For the United States to maintain its ability to respond to societal challenges and crises in ways that remain consistent with the spirit of democratic and pluralistic ideals, we must find ways to effectively stem the tide of political polarization that is fracturing the nation’s political environment. That’s the conclusion of Fulton Schools Professor Stephanie Forrest and Joshua Daymude, a postdoctoral researcher with ASU’s Biodesign Institute. They teamed with University of Michigan political scientist Robert Axelrod to explore the factors involved in the evolution of political polarization in the U.S. in recent times and propose ways in which its socially destabilizing impacts might be diminished. Their study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In this detailing of that research and its conclusions, computer scientists Forrest and Daymude suggest paths that politicians, the news media and the citizenry can take to “resist the poison of extremism.” Read more about their research.

    See Also: Researchers look to technology to find out what’s increasing the country’s social and political divide, “Arizona Horizon”/Arizona PBS, January 27

  • AAAS honors ASU Professor Enrique Vivoni as a lifetime fellow

    AAAS honors ASU Professor Enrique Vivoni as a lifetime fellow

    During his career, Enrique Vivoni has made important advances in the understanding of the hydrology of natural and urban systems, as well as the interactions of ecologic and atmospheric phenomena. Those contributions promise paths to improving environmental sustainability efforts and offering more effective protection and management of natural resources. For those achievements, Vivoni, a Fulton Schools professor with a joint appoint in ASU’s School of Earth and Space Exploration, has be elevated to the rank of Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society. He joins a group of scientists, engineers and other innovators recognized for the positive impacts of their work on science and society. 

  • US News ranks ASU among the best in nation for online programs

    US News ranks ASU among the best in nation for online programs

    ASU is again ranked among the nation’s leading educational institutions offering online university degree programs. The US News 2022 Best Online Program report gave a second-place ranking to the Fulton Schools online electrical engineering program and ASU’s online bachelor’s degree program for military veterans. The Fulton Schools was ranked in the top 15 overall for its online engineering graduate degree programs — including a number two ranking for the online management engineering graduate degree program and number four for its online industrial engineering graduate degree program.

    See Also: ASU’s online graduate engineering program ranked among the nation’s best, ASU News, January 25

    ASU ranked top 5 in the nation for 16 online programs, ASU Online, January 25

  • Connecting career and community through mentorship

    Connecting career and community through mentorship

    Carrying forward the servant-leadership societal legacy espoused by leaders such as Martin Luther King, ASU has teamed with the Greater Phoenix Urban League Young Professionals to form CoNext@ASU. The program seeks to transition college students into high performing young professionals by providing them training and experience in leadership, community service and life skills. CoNext@ASU enables students to get access to mentoring that is personalized in accordance with their interests, needs and class schedules, and connects those students with professionals in a variety of industries — including engineers. In its first endeavors, the program has drawn students from about a dozen of the university’s schools, including the Fulton Schools.

  • Japan allocates $56 million toward developing electric railgun for missile defense

    Japan allocates $56 million toward developing electric railgun for missile defense

    With its recent development of a large gun that uses electromagnetic force to launch a projectile, Japan’s military is pushing weaponry into new spheres of technological capability. The new railgun can fire projectiles at six times the speed of sound and can defend against advanced hypersonic missiles. Even though it requires a lot of power consumption and lacks optimal mobility and cooling efficiency, it is more fully developed and deployable than similar weaponry developed for the United State military.  Still, railguns overall are not yet as effective as convention missile technology, says Fulton Schools Professor Braden Allenby, founding chair of the Consortium for Emerging Technologies, Military Operations, and National Security. But Allenby foresees Japan’s project potentially prompting other nations to invest in the pursuit of more railgun advances in the future.

  • ASU a major player is microelectronics

    ASU a major player is microelectronics

    ASU is helping Arizona and the United States establish itself as a leader in microelectronics. The pipeline to an educated workforce for the microelectronics industry now includes the engineering talent being nurtured by the recently established School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, one of the seven Fulton Schools. ASU engineering faculty members and students are contributing to research pursuits in microelectronics at state-of-the-art ASU facilities such as the Advanced Electronics and Photonics facilityASU NanoFab and the Eyring Materials Center. David Quispe (pictured), a Fulton Schools materials science and engineering doctoral student, works at another advanced research facility, the Macro Technology Works lab at ASU’s Research Park. Fulton Schools Associate Professor Zachary Holman says research efforts promise to produce forward strides in microelectronics by improving transistors, microchips and semiconductors. A version of the article has also been published by AZ Big Media.

    See Also: Arizona’s economic investments aim to attract high-tech industry players, bizjournals.com, Jan 21.

  • These machines scrub greenhouse gases from the air – an inventor of direct air capture technology shows how it works

    These machines scrub greenhouse gases from the air – an inventor of direct air capture technology shows how it works

    Fulton Schools Professor Klaus Lackner is director of ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, where researchers have been at the forefront of efforts to finetune technologies to reduce the threats of climate change and global warning. That primarily means developing effective ways to remove the damaging greenhouse gases the have accumulated in the atmosphere, largely from two centuries of burning fossil fuels. Lackner goes into detail about this ambitious science and engineering endeavor and the tools and techniques that he and his research team have been exploring as possible paths to overcoming the serious challenges of developing and deploying potent, large-scale air capture systems. The article is also published in The Daily Beast, Fast Company, Yahoo News, The Bharat Express News, The Next Web, Rappler and MarketWatch.

    See Also: Scientists Suggest Building Mechanical Trees to Effectively Remove Bad Carbon Dioxide, Wonderful Engineering, January 24

    Forest of mechanical tree could be built to ‘soak up carbon dioxide’ and help stave off climate change, scientists claim, Daily Mail (London), January 25

  • How the Arizona New Economy Initiative will bring jobs, boost business

    How the Arizona New Economy Initiative will bring jobs, boost business

    Cattle, cotton, copper, citrus and climate have long been recognized as the pillars of Arizona’s economy. But today the view of what is driving the state’s economic well-being and its business outlook for the future has broadened. Prominent among new things on the list of things critical to Arizona’s success in the future is the growing abundance of engineering talent and innovation. Arizona’s New Economy Initiative now foresees substantial growth of high wage jobs, increased economic output and return on the state’s economic development investments in business sectors that rely on advanced engineering skills. The initiative points specifically to the growth of the Fulton Schools as a key source of those skills — pointing to the competency of the faculty and the caliber of the training and education being provided to students. Added to that list of positive developments is the Fulton Schools’ growing track record of productive partnerships and collaborations with businesses and industries across a broad spectrum of leading sectors of the national economy.

    See Also: Creating the future of Arizona: How ASU is helping bring new high-wage jobs to Arizona and increase the state economic output throug the New Economy Initiative, ASU News, January 13

  • Broad and Shallow AI: The promise and perils of competence without comprehension

    Broad and Shallow AI: The promise and perils of competence without comprehension

    While there is optimism about the advantages of artificial intelligence, or AI, technologies evolving to reach and encompass the full spectrum of human intelligence and cognitive capabilities, others fear the potential misuses of the technology that such advances might make possible. Fulton Schools Professor Subbarao Kambhampati, a former president of the international Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, explores questions about the societal implications of a world in which AI goes beyond being able to merely imitate or approximate human intelligence. What happens if and when the technology can not only replicate human intelligence but gain an intrinsic understanding of itself and the world around it that is comparable to our intellectual competence but falls short of a fully developed comprehension of human reality?  

  • IEEE SA Managing Director’s Special Recognition Award Given to Katina Michael

    IEEE SA Managing Director’s Special Recognition Award Given to Katina Michael

    Professor Katina Michael’s areas of expertise include public interest technology. That interest has made her a leader in advocating for age-appropriate technology design standards and promoting public policies to establish protections for children in an ever-evolving age of digital technologies. Michael has applied her experience in informatics, human-centered design and consensus-building to efforts that have led to a standard for companies and key stakeholders globally to follow in designing practical digital solutions with children. For that accomplishment, she was recently given a Managing Directors Special Recognition Award by the Standards Association of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Michael is a joint hire with ASU’s School for the Future of Innovation in Society and the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, one of the seven Fulton schools, and is the director of the Society Policy Engineering Collective, and a Senior Global Futures Scientist.

    Read about Michaels’ work related to public interest technology here: Ideas on Optimizing the Future Soft Law Governance of AI, Technology and Society, January 5

  • Wastewater-based epidemiology comes of age during pandemic

    Wastewater-based epidemiology comes of age during pandemic

    News from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reports how advances in analyzing the contents of wastewater has become an effective, noninvasive and cost-saving method that helps track the prevalence and spread of diseases in communities. The institute’s recent Partnerships for Environmental Public Health event focused on the emerging science and environmental engineering that is advancing wastewater-based epidemiology. Among those whose work is contributing to progress in this area is Fulton Schools Professor Rolf Halden (pictured), who has helped to pioneer this field of epidemiology for more than two decades. His research has led to a ban on antimicrobials in consumer products that proved to present public health risks and advances in detection of COVID-19 in communities through new wastewater analysis methods.

  • As U.S. moves toward solar energy, this roofing company hopes ‘solar shingles’ will get homeowners to buy in

    As U.S. moves toward solar energy, this roofing company hopes ‘solar shingles’ will get homeowners to buy in

    A new solar roofing product from one of the country’s largest roofing companies aims to drive down the costs of home solar energy installations and boost the overall use of solar technology. Solar power expert Zachary Holman, a Fulton Schools associate professor of electrical and energy engineering, says the company, GAF Energy, seems to have all the technical aspects of its operations in place, and that with a good supply chain and business management operations the company could be in position to achieve its goals. Still, Holman and other renewable energy experts say there may be some challenges involved in the installation, operation, efficiency and resilience of this new kind of solar system under various conditions.

  • ASU again among nation’s top research universities

    ASU again among nation’s top research universities

    ASU is maintaining its place among the leading research universities in the United States. Recent rankings place the university at 26 among more than 400 universities for research expenditures — and moving up to sixth place among 755 other institutions without a medical school. Among notable engineering research pursuits are studies to improve treatment of traumatic brain injury led by Fulton Schools Associate Professor Sarah Stabenfeldt. Another is a project led by Professor Bruce Rittmann to solve the problem of carbon dioxide released from wastewater treatment systems. A process he and his research team at ASU’s Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology have developed is designed to consume carbon dioxide and convert it into biofuel and other useful  products. ASU is ranked 18th in overall in engineering research, 10th in civil engineering and 11th in electrical, electronic and communications engineering.

December

2021
  • Q&AZ: Why do most metro Phoenix homes have big block fences?

    Q&AZ: Why do most metro Phoenix homes have big block fences?

    A newcomer to the Phoenix area asks why so many residential developments in the city and its neighboring cities and towns have big masonry block walls around homes rather than the fences or lack of property barriers that are common in other parts of the country. Among the experts with an answer is Barzin Mobasher, a Fulton Schools civil engineering professor and an expert on building materials and their structural stability. The strength of block walls along with the variety of creative architectural features they can offer is one reason those walls became popular with builders, Mobasher says. Another factor: Much of the technology for making masonry blocks was developed in the Phoenix area, he says, which led to masonry plants being built in the area, which then drove the market for use of concrete blocks in home construction.

  • ASU students win gold medal for making arsenic-absorbing algae

    ASU students win gold medal for making arsenic-absorbing algae

    A team of six ASU students — three of them Fulton Schools biomedical engineering undergraduates — has won earn a gold medal in the prestigious International Genetically Engineered Machine, or iGEM, competition. The team’s project involved modifying micro algae to make proteins capable of removing toxic arsenic from water and then trapping it within the tiny algae plants. In this process the arsenic gets trapped by the proteins that are existing in the chloroplasts that the team directed the micro algae to make. Team co-captains Maggie Cook ( second from right in photo) and Emma Lieberman (at left in photo) are biomedical engineering seniors.

  • Public transit in rural Maine is sparse. Improving it could help the state fight climate change

    Public transit in rural Maine is sparse. Improving it could help the state fight climate change

    The state of Maine is trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% over the next three decades to help combat climate change. Achieving the goal will mean a change that entails both providing more public transit while also promoting a change in habits and attitudes among large numbers of the state’s citizenry who traditionally don’t make a habit of using public transit services. Fulton Schools Associate Professor and director of ASU’s Metis Center for Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering, Mikhail Chester, whose grandmother lives in Maine, says it’s increasingly important for states to invest more in providing new or expanded transportation systems, especially those that will provide viable options to cars in more heavily trafficked areas, thereby helping to lure more people to chose public transit.

  • America’s Greatest Disruptors: Hall of Famers

    America’s Greatest Disruptors: Hall of Famers

    A new special issue of Newsweek magazine features Fulton Schools Professor Klaus Lackner among the outstanding innovators named to the publication’s Hall of Fame as the nation’s “Greatest Disruptors.” The magazine proclaims these ground breakers working in various fields as the “Visionaries whose career-long actions have had far-reaching impact.” Lackner, director of ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, is lauded for his leadership in developing carbon capture technologies and systems that could absorb or otherwise remove greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, and keep those gasses from contributing to global warming and climate change that could pose potentially devastating threats to our environment and our own health.

    See Also: The Controversial Plan to Vacuum Carbon Out of the Atmosphere, Slate, December 20

  • Researchers repurpose wastewater treatment greenhouse gases to grow algae, make useful products

    Researchers repurpose wastewater treatment greenhouse gases to grow algae, make useful products

    Biogas byproducts produced by the carbon dioxide and methane gases that emanate from wastewater treatment plants typically are burned away as part of the treatment process. But now Fulton Schools Professor Bruce Rittmann and his team at ASU’s Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, which he directs, are repurposing the process to grow algae and make other useful products. Manufacturers are able to turn microalgae into fuel, food additives and other valuable materials, and methane can be captured and sold to various industries that use it. Working with a city of Mesa water reclamation plant operators, the ASU researchers are developing a sustainable, large-scale system to reclaim valuable waste materials for beneficial uses.

    See also: Algae could be key to reducing carbon emission in wastewater treatment process, ABC15 News Arizona, December 9

  • How IIJA changes the value statement for construction technology

    How IIJA changes the value statement for construction technology

    Despite approval of the largest investment by the federal government in many decades for public infrastructure upgrades to roads, bridges, railways, public transportation, renewable energy, the electrical grid, water systems and more, skeptics says there are many construction and engineering industry obstacles to completing some of those projects. Yet other researchers are proposing alternative construction project delivery methods that might overcome roadblocks to some infrastructure improvement efforts, says Mounir El Asmar, a Fulton Schools associate professor of sustainable engineering and the built environment. An ASU and University of Colorado team has already developed guidebooks to help states’ departments of transportation implement alternative building strategies. The team plans to supplement those guides with industry training opportunities.

  • ASU students create time-travel experience in Dreamscape Learn

    ASU students create time-travel experience in Dreamscape Learn

    Robert LiKamWa says “the creative workforce of the future” is taking shape in ASU’s new “Designing for Dreamscape” course. Thirty-five students recently presented their final project for the course co-taught by LiKamWa, an assistant professor in the School of Arts, Media and Engineering and the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, and Ed Finn, founding director of the Center for Science and the Imagination and an associate professor in the School of Arts, Media and Engineering and the School for the Future of Innovation in Society. Divided into narrative storytelling, art, sound and pod integration teams, students collaborated to create timelines, develop characters and animation and record and edit sound to produce the project called “Theta Labs.” They used the new Dreamscape Learn virtual reality platform to create a time-traveling climate-change scenario. ASU President Michael Crow called the project a powerful form of visualization that can enable creation of useful intellectual constructs to address complex societal challenges.

  • Fighting climate change: Not all trees are created equal

    Fighting climate change: Not all trees are created equal

    Even in the hot arid deserts of Arizona and the humid tropical environs of Florida, trees can play a big part in keeping the populace cooler in seasons when the heat rises. With a growing number of days each year when temperatures climb above 90 degrees in the southern and southwestern U.S., the shade provided by trees can be one of the best ways to keep people comfortable outdoors, says Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Ariane Middel, an urban climatologist. But not all kinds of trees do the job. Urban planners should examine how effectively the canopies of particular tree species will perform in their cities’ specific environmental and climatological conditions. The report also aired on ABC Channel 7 News Denver.

November

2021
  • ASU professor develops app that can predict falling

    ASU professor develops app that can predict falling

    His father’s physical difficulties led Thurmon Lockhart, a Fulton Schools professor of biological and health systems engineer, to develop technology capable of closely monitoring peoples’ movement while walking to determine their risk of falling. The app measures baseline walking speed and stability while walking, and issues a warning if there is a risk of falling. The app can also be downloaded on mobile phones and I-watches. The device recognizes patterns of movement that can indicate physical frailty and some types of the symptoms related to physical dissonance, vertigo, depression and head injuries.

  • Zero Waste Water

    Zero Waste Water

    Turning waste materials into valuable products and resources has become a growing pursuit of environmental engineers and scientists. Fulton Schools Professor Bruce Rittmann has been at the forefront of the trend for two decades. Rittman, director of the Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology at ASU Biodesign Center, is now aiding efforts to use greenhouse gases produced by wastewater treatment to generate electricity and to make biofuel with microalgae. Collaborating with ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions and Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation and the city of Mesa, Rittman’s team is helping pioneer methods and technologies that promise to create sustainable resource reclamation processes that will help maintain a cleaner environment.

  • The cars of the future can be found across Arizona

    The cars of the future can be found across Arizona

    Innovative companies like Lucid Motors, Polestar and Rivian, each of which has operations in Arizona, are focused on developing new automotive technologies and helping lead the transition to electric vehicles. But the big question is whether these companies’ new vehicles will be able to significantly protect the environment from the negative impacts of carbon emissions like those produced by gasoline-fueled vehicles. Fulton Schools Research Professor Steve Polzin, a civil engineer who specializes in transportation, says some of the materials and manufacturing processes used to make electric vehicles still require the use of fossil fuels and carbon-intensive industrial practices. More work by engineers and researchers is needed to offset the negative environmental impacts of those aspects of the electric car industry, Polzin says.

  • Will glow-in-the-dark materials someday light our cities?

    Will glow-in-the-dark materials someday light our cities?

    A new generation of luminescent materials is prompting talk of the possibility that glowing photoluminescent substances might someday light buildings, streets and sidewalks. Such photoluminescent materials work by “trapping” the energy of a photon and re-emitting that energy as lower-wavelength light. Some of these materials could be able to glow strongly for many hours. Beyond providing illumination, it might also possible to engineer the materials to cool local environments and reduce the urban heat island effect. Fulton Schools Professor Patrick Phelan, a mechanical engineer and co-author a research paper on the heat island effect, finds that possibility worth investigating. The article also appears in Inverse.

  • Trees cool the land surface temperature of cities by up to 12°C

    Trees cool the land surface temperature of cities by up to 12°C

    Satellite data analysis of green spaces in almost 300 cities shows that trees are one of the best safeguards against rising temperatures resulting from global warming. The study concludes green spaces with plenty of tree-covered areas have a bigger cooling effect than green spaces with few or no trees. Fulton Schools Associate Professor Zhihua Wang, an environmental engineer and co-director of climate systems research for the National Center of Excellence on SMART Innovations, says the findings provide a practical guide for cities to establish effective urban heat mitigation strategies. The cooling effect happens primarily through shading and transpiration, when water inside trees is released as water vapor through their leaves, which helps lower the surrounding temperature.

  • Water Wisdom: The Indigenous Scientists Walking In Two Worlds

    Water Wisdom: The Indigenous Scientists Walking In Two Worlds

    Otakuye Conroy-Ben is among the scientists and engineers with roots in North America’s Indigenous communities and Native American cultures who are drawing on their academic training and cultural experiences to sustain natural resources by protecting sources of water and restoring ecosystems in those communities. Conroy-Ben is an environmental engineer and Fulton Schools assistant professor, as well as a Senior Global Futures Scientist with ASU’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory. She is working with Indigenous colleagues to “get a grasp on the state of the future as it affects tribal nations,” she says. That includes work to help communities reduce water contamination and water scarcity, and protect natural resources from the impacts of climate change and increasing environmental pollution.

  • Let the video games begin

    Let the video games begin

    ASU’s new esports lounge may look like all fun and games. But with a global video gaming industry projected to grow to a well over a $200 billion enterprise, the facility is providing training that could more than ever put students on paths to careers in science, technology and engineering. It even might prepare students to become professional esports athletes, says Pavan Turaga, a Fulton Schools associate professor of electrical, computer and energy engineering and director of the School of Arts, Media and Engineering, a collaborative of the Fulton Schools and ASU’s Herberger Institute for the Arts. Some students are there not just playing video games but developing new ones and the School of Arts, Media and Engineering is already adding a gaming concentration to its degree program. “There is serious academic leveraging around gaming,” Turaga says.

  • ASU Names 2022 Regents Professors

    ASU Names 2022 Regents Professors

    Fulton Schools Professor Ying-Cheng Lai (at left in photo, with students) is among four educators joining the ranks of those given the highest honor ASU bestows on its faculty members. The Regents Professor title recognizes those who have made pioneering contributions in their academic and research areas, achieved a sustained level of distinction and earned national and international recognition. Lai is an endowed professor of electrical engineering and innovator in nonlinear dynamics, complex systems and relativistic quantum chaos, a field he pioneered. More than 20 doctoral students and numerous master’s degree students have earned degrees under his guidance.

  • ASU scholars awarded $2M grant to advance educational data sharing

    ASU scholars awarded $2M grant to advance educational data sharing

    Fulton Schools faculty members are among the ASU data analysts and other data specialists in the ASU Learning at Scale Digital Learning Network, which is part of the Digital Learning Platforms to Enable Efficient Education Research Network. That network is part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, which has awarded ASU $12 million to develop infrastructure and protocols to facilitate the connection of student achievement, learning and related data at ASU and elsewhere. The project’s goal is to take major steps toward understanding learning and instruction in real-world contexts for the purpose of providing more effective higher education to college students and other learners.  

  • Freeze frame: Scientists use new electron microscope to explore the mysteries of life

    Freeze frame: Scientists use new electron microscope to explore the mysteries of life

    Some of the most fundamental biological underpinnings of life are being explored in an ASU lab equipped with a highly specialized cryogenic transmission electron microscope, technology designed to reveal the inner complexities of cells. Fulton Schools Associate Professor Brent Nannenga (pictured), a chemical engineer who probes the functions and structures of biosystems, is among the engineers and scientists whose research careers are benefiting from the capabilities of the powerful microscope named Titan Krios. It is helping to make advances in medicine, renewable energy and other critical areas, and Nannenga says efforts to upgrade the performance of Titan Krios could open the door to the next big leaps forward in microscopy.

  • Putting a dent in Plastic Waste

    Putting a dent in Plastic Waste

    Fulton Schools students Michael Brady and Johna Yolo (at left in photo) are members of the ASU chapter of the international Precious Plastic community, which is helping lead the way in sustainability efforts to recycle plastic by turning it into useful new products. Club members are using social engagement, semi-industrial plastic-processing machines and education to promote plastics recycling and zero-waste lifestyles. Brady, a civil engineering student, the club’s engineering lead, hopes to see development of plastic bricks to make homeless shelters, durable water bottles, clamps and office furniture, and a retail enterprise to support the club’s efforts. Yolo, a human systems engineering student and the club’s process lead, says major technical advances in plastics recycling are needed to make it economical and less labor-intensive but still foresees the potential to have a significant sustainability impact.

  • Research reveals tactics used by US stem cell clinics to sell therapeutics

    Research reveals tactics used by US stem cell clinics to sell therapeutics

    Despite the proliferation of stem cell clinics offering therapies the businesses say can effectively treat a number of physical disorders and restore healthy conditions in various areas of the body, new research casts doubt on the extent of the powers of those stem cell treatments. David Brafman and Emma Frow are among those who say some clinics significantly overstate the effectiveness of the therapies. Associate Professor Brafman and Assistant Professor Frow are Fulton Schools biological and health systems engineering faculty members. They have analyzed the advertising of about 60 stem cells clinics and found the claims of many of them are not based on strongly supported medical evidence, and many clinics have increasingly offered stem cell products that have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

  • Business Experts Split on Criticism of Buttigieg on Supply Chain Issues

    Business Experts Split on Criticism of Buttigieg on Supply Chain Issues

    A lack of the availability of basic commodities and the increasing prices of those goods are one result of the current breakdown of the global supply chain. Among the factors being cited by some critics as a cause of the problem is a lack of leadership by U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. But others, including Mahour Parast, a Fulton Schools eminent scholar whose research focuses on supply chain risk and resilience management, point to other things, such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a reason for the supply chain problems. He also cites companies’ decisions to move their operations overseas to benefit from lower production costs and better access to raw materials as a cause. Such moves may bring cost savings, Parast says, but they also decrease the agility of supply chains.

  • Sports — you’re doing it wrong

    Sports — you’re doing it wrong

    A new book by Fulton Schools Associate Professor Rob Gray counters some of the long-accepted techniques used in physical training to develop athletic skills and compete in sports. Gray, who teaches in the Fulton Schools human systems engineering program, says new research and knowledge is casting some doubt on the effectiveness of some longtime approaches to sports training and how athletes practice. In his book, he draws on his research on human perceptual-motor control, with an emphasis on demanding physical and perceptual actions involved in sports, driving and aviation. He proposes new ways to coach and guide people — especially youngsters — who are trying to master the movements necessary to excel in challenging sporting endeavors.

  • ASU students named US finalists in Red Bull Basement global competition

    ASU students named US finalists in Red Bull Basement global competition

    Fulton Schools Student Brinlee Kidd and Sylvia Lopez will represent the United States in an international competition for student innovators December 13-15. They were selected from almost 200 applicants to participate in the Red Bull Basement Final as part of a program designed to encourage inventive students to devise ideas for using technology to drive positive change in the world. They’ve developed Jotted, an automated note-taking tool enabling students to type notes and turn them into digital notebooks with various features such as a resource finding function. Kidd is an informatics student with a minor in film and media production. Lopez is an industrial engineering student with a minor in humans systems engineering. Both are also students in ASU’s Barrett, the Honors college, and members of ASU’s student-driven Luminosity Lab.

  • Can vacuuming carbon dioxide out of the air reverse climate change?

    Can vacuuming carbon dioxide out of the air reverse climate change?

    It was decades ago that warnings about global climate change began to emerge, and not long after that came ideas for technology that could capture carbon from the atmosphere to ease the negative impacts of global warming. Klaus Lackner was among the first to propose that approach to climate engineering and then begin designing the technology and systems to make it possible. Today, as a Fulton Schools professor and director of ASU’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, Lackner and his team have produced a “mechanical tree” that can effectively remove threatening greenhouse gases. Other scientists and engineers have also proposed and prototyped various methods of atmospheric carbon removal. Their efforts still face economic, governmental and political hurdles to becoming operational at scales large enough to play a big part in reversing climate change.

  • Could GPS devices be leading people to drive the wrong-way?

    Could GPS devices be leading people to drive the wrong-way?

    Some suspect that global positioning systems, or GPS, technology could be a factor in causing a spike in the occurrence of automobile accidents involving drivers going the wrong way on roads. Reporters asked Fulton Schools Professor Ram Pendyala, a transportation engineer, to explain what some of the latest research on the problem is showing about the impact of GPS devices on road safety. There is data speculating that the technology could possibly misdirect drivers in situations where there is a very short distance between an exit ramp and an access point to another road. But Pendyala says the evidence points more to driver error rather than GPS. Still, he adds, with mor reliance on GPS systems, every effort must be made to improve the technology so it can be as effective and reliable as possible.

  • Foiling AI hackers with counterfactual reasoning

    Foiling AI hackers with counterfactual reasoning

    Despite ongoing advances in the technologies used in self-driving vehicles and similar autonomous systems, they continue to be vulnerable to those capable of hacking the artificial intelligence, or AI, systems that control many autonomous systems. Yezhou Yang (pictured), a Fulton Schools assistant professor of computer science and engineering, as well as director of the ASU Active Perception Group, is among researchers working on defenses against these hackers. Among potential solutions are development of systems to thwart the specific types of complex hacking attacks aimed at taking control of the AI systems in autonomous vehicles. Yang’s efforts recently earned him an Amazon Research Award to support his research.

  • Modern modifications

    Modern modifications

    Are we on the cusp of a transhumanist future? One sign of such a trend may be the proliferation of extreme body modification. New and more intensive modification techniques are giving rise to startup industries that are expanding the creative and sometimes radical applications of tattooing, body piercings and bodily alterations — some using implantable devices — from a subculture to popular culture status. Some say it’s about building on old traditions, other see potential danger. Some forms of modification are touted as the path to inevitable transhumanism, enabled by the use of body enhancement technologies to overcome human biological limitations.  While that may bring benefits in some ways, Fulton Schools Professor Katina Michael, who studies emerging implantable tech, says it could also create social and ethical dilemmas, and blur the line between medical correction and performance enhancement.

  • Lecture Series Spotlights Indigenous Architecture

    Lecture Series Spotlights Indigenous Architecture

    “On the Ground: Indigenous Voices on Constructed Place,” a lecture series being presented by the University of Washington Department of Architecture, will bring indigenous architects, researchers and community organizers to speak as part of a celebration of National Native American Heritage Month. The featured speakers include architect Wanda Dalla Costa, an associate professor in the Del E. Webb School of Construction in the Fulton Schools and an Institute Professor in The Design School in ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. Dalla Costa, a member of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation, is also affiliated with ASU’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory and is the founder and design director of the Indigenous Design Collaborative.

  • ASU Foundation now accepting cryptocurrency gifts

    ASU Foundation now accepting cryptocurrency gifts

    ASU supporters have been donating to the university using cash, stocks, bonds, fine art, real estate, life insurance and many other traditional modes of giving. Now those philanthropic options are expanding extensively. The ASU Foundation for a New American University has begun accepting 90 kinds of cryptocurrencies, enabling new options for engaging with a broader and more diverse range of donors through more seamless processes that could provide supporters various benefits. Dragan Boscovic, Fulton Schools professor of computer science and director of the Blockchain Research Lab, says the use of cryptocurrency for philanthropy can open the way to opportunities for ASU to participate in a blockchain network that would produce additional financial advantages.

October

2021
  • The science behind the suits of ‘Dune’

    The science behind the suits of ‘Dune’

    There’s some real science in the science fiction in the new movie “Dune,” based on the long-popular novel. Characters in the film wear protective suits to help them cope more comfortably with their planet’s challenging environment.  Such attire most definitely demonstrates the application of thermal dynamics and materials engineering, says mechanical engineer and Fulton Schools Associate Professor Konrad Rykaczewski. His research has involved formulating concepts for clothing, designs and materials for very hot places like southern Arizona, where the climate is much like that of the desert planet Arrakis in “Dune.” The movie characters’ clothing shields them from much of the heat on the planet while also cooling them down and helping recycle moisture from their bodies. Rykaczewski and others involved in work similar to his engineering pursuits are developing clothing with some of the same capabilities — not only for people on Earth but, for instance, as highly functional outfits for space traveling astronauts.

  • Increasing days with extreme heat prompt new US guidelines for workers

    Increasing days with extreme heat prompt new US guidelines for workers

    Rising temperatures in places link Phoenix are posing an increasing threat to the health of workers whose jobs keep them outdoors and exposed to high temperatures for long periods of time. The U.S.Occupational Safety and Health Administration is now at work on a process to develop a workplace heat standard. The agency is looking at developing a national program that would implement an enforcement initiative on heat-related hazards and heat inspections, and forming a working group to engage stakeholders and coordinate with state and local officials. Urban climatologist Ariane Middel, a Fulton Schools assistant professor, studies “heatscapes” and how people experience the impacts of the urban heat island effect. The effects come not only from direct exposure to sunlight, Middel says, but also from ground-level surfaces, such as asphalt, concrete other materials in the built environment that strongly reflect heat. (Online access to the Phoenix Business Journal is available only to subsribers.)

  • Here’s how cryptocurrency is changing how Arizonans do business

    Here’s how cryptocurrency is changing how Arizonans do business

    Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has signed legislation to establish a Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Study Committee, which will report on what might help the cryptocurrency market grow in the state. The committee’s membership includes Fulton Schools Research Professor Dragan Boscovic, founder of ASU’s Blockchain Research Lab. Blockchain technology provides am electronic digital leger that makes cryptocurrency like Bitcoin and Ethereum work. Boscovic says real estate is one area in which cryptocurrency could take hold as a common form of financial transactions. By the end of next year, the study Committee must provide a report on what steps Arizona legislators can take to support the cryptocurrency market.

  • Hoolest develops technology to treat anxiety without drugs

    Hoolest develops technology to treat anxiety without drugs

    A company founded by two Fulton Schools graduates has announced its development of a device to treat anxiety and other medical conditions. Hoolest Performance Technologies develops neurotechnologies to enhance mental health and human performance. Hoolest is led by founders Nick Hool, who earned bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in biomedical engineering in the Fulton Schools, and John Patterson, who earned bachelors and masters degrees in electrical engineering. Their newest product is a noninvasive electrical nerve stimulation device to treat anxiety and related conditions, which they tout as a fast-acting anxiety relief alternative to drug treatments.

  • Graduate College announces launch of 2 presidential scholar programs

    Graduate College announces launch of 2 presidential scholar programs

    Four new Fulton Schools graduate students — Vidya Chandrasekhar Krishnan, Kelsie Herzer, Isaiah Woodson and Gloria Appiah Nsiah (pictured with Fulton Schools Professor Treavor Boyer) — are among the 2021 cohort of 26 young scholars who are new Presidential Postdoctoral Fellows and Presidential Graduate Assistants at ASU. The programs are designed to accelerate meaningful change by bringing talented, diverse students and postdocs to the university. Their work will involve advancing research to help ASU contribute to a national agenda for social justice. The programs have been launched as a part of ASU’s Listen, Invest, Facilitate and Teach, or LIFT, Initiative.

  • Team me up, Scotty!

    Team me up, Scotty!

    ASU’s NewSpace initiative is giving academia and industry opportunities to forge partnerships to pursue advances in space exploration. Among the ASU researchers involved is mechanical engineer and Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Sze Zheng Yong. NewSpace helped Yong learn about the process of seeking NASA funding for research projects. That helped Yong earn a 2020 Early Career Faculty Space Tech Research Grant to develop an algorithm designed to coordinate robots that are physically tethered together to navigate challenging terrain. He is now working with an aerospace company to see if this type of robotic system could aid future space missions by making it possible to more adeptly navigate and explore other planets.

  • A new kind of MaRTiny: ASU researchers hope device will help gather heat data

    A new kind of MaRTiny: ASU researchers hope device will help gather heat data

    Fulton Schools Assistant Professor Ariane Middel, whose expertise in includes urban climatology, has been helping officials in Phoenix and Tempe seek solutions to the detrimental impacts of rising temperature in those cities. The work has included gathering data on factors that are increasing the heat in urban environments. Middel has been doing much of that work with a biometeorological sensing device she named MaRTy. After realizing the need for a smaller, more easily transported and less expensive version of the technology, Middel has developed MaRTiny. The new device can connect to Wi-Fi and provide data every minute, and features a camera that can record the data from a livestream. If this small version proves to provide data as accurate as its larger forerunner, it could reveal how urban areas could cope more productively when the heat is on.

  • 7 ASU students, alumni nominated for Marshall and Rhodes scholarships

    7 ASU students, alumni nominated for Marshall and Rhodes scholarships

    Fulton Schools chemical engineering graduate student Rachael Kha has been nominated for two of the most prestigious fellowships in higher educaton, the Marshall and Rhodes Scholarships. After earning bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering, economics and philosophy, she has been pursuing a master’s degree in chemical engineering. She has done research at ASU’s Biodesign Institute, the Pathfinder Center