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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 ASU, King’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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

A company founded eight years ago by Cody Friesen, an associate professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, continues to expand its work to help bring clean drinking water to underserved populations. Source Global will install 800 of its hydropanels, which use solar energy to extract water from moisture in the air, to provide safe water to more than 3,400 people in remote Arizona communities. Funded by a grant from the Arizona Drinking Water Program, the project will include water conservation education outreach and workforce development by giving residents opportunities to become certified Source hydropanel installers.

Already one of the most honored ASU faculty members for her many research and teaching achievements, Professor Alexandra Navrotksy will get additional recognition and awards this year for her decades of contributions to engineering and science. A member of the faculties of three ASU schools, including the School for Engineering and Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, Navrotsky’s 60 years of highly impactful work in materials science and related fields will be recognized at conferences in three countries, including at the Navrotsky International Symposium on Geochemistry in Panama.

A quickening pace in the development of both artificial intelligence, or AI, technologies and robotics, is expanding the capabilities of machines to aid science and engineering ventures. One notable example is a heat-sensitive android named ANDI, which is enabling ASU researchers to gain more detailed knowledge about the impact of heat on human health. Experiments using the robot that simulates human breathing and sweating — developed by a research team including Fulton Schools faculty members and students — are expected to produce ideas for clothing or technology to protect people from heatstroke, or for new ways to treat people suffering from heat-induced health threats.

See Also: Sweating, shivering, breathing robots teach humans how extreme temperature affect the body, NPR, June 27

In a first, scientists unveil a robot that sweats, breathes and shivers, The Business Standard, June 24

Levees are critical to protecting some Arizona cities, towns and other communities from damaging floods. But the state has “orphan” levees that apparently no one is maintaining. It’s unclear whether many levees are being regularly inspected or even watched, which opens the potential for major flood damage in some areas, says Edward Kavazanjian, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, and a leading expert on geotechnical engineering for civil infrastructure systems. Similar concerns have been noted in the American Society of Civil Engineers Infrastructure Report Card.

Fast-evolving artificial intelligence, or AI, technologies are steadily becoming a common educational tool in a variety of academic disciplines. Some teachers are seeing the potential for AI to reshape education in the very near future. Among them is Pavan Turaga, a professor and director of ASU’s School of Arts, Media and Engineering, a collaborative involving the Fulton Schools and the university’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. While there are concerns about negative consequences resulting from ways generative AI could be used, Turaga and others still see potential for the technology to enhance learning. The article is also published in AZ Big Media.

ASU has teamed with two semiconductor industry companies to create a new “first-of-its-kind” test engineering course. Fulton Schools faculty members developed the course content, which has been enhanced by student laboratory experiments designed by the two companies, Advantest Corporation and NXP Semiconductors. The course focusing on production testing for mixed-signal and RF (Radio Frequency) circuits will be offered by the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools. Professor Sule Ozev, (at left in photo) who helped to develop the curriculum, says the new course will help efforts to provide the semiconductor industry a new generation of much-needed test engineers. The news is also reported by EP&T (Electronic Products and Technology), Digital Engineering24/7 and Design News.

Two of four employees recently promoted by one of the leading general contractors in the Southwest earned college degrees through the Del E. Webb School of Construction, part of the Fulton Schools at ASU. Joe Malone has been named executive director of the Haydon Building corporation’s civil division. Heather Marin is the new director of operations for the company’s building division. Haydon has had management roles in a variety of the company’s bigger projects and been involved in the company’s internship program for college students. Marin has almost three decades of experience in the industry, having stepped into leading roles soon after graduating from college.

Arizona’s higher education leaders are responding to new employers in the state by focusing on offering students’ rapid skill development opportunities to meet the demands of the advanced manufacturing industry. Such training courses and degree programs are catering to the needs of high-tech companies that are hiring new graduates in a job market being transformed by automation and AI advances that require new skills. Hongbin Yu, a professor at the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering and director of the Center for Efficient Vehicles and Sustainable Transportation Systems, says ASU’s training is helping students secure jobs with Lucid, Tesla and Lidar technology companies.

Alzheimer’s, viewed as one of the more frightening of debilitating diseases, does not have a cure. But research revealing more about the causes raises some hope of progress in treating the disease. Research at ASU led by Rolf Halden, a professor in the  School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, has examined the role of environmental factors as one trigger for Alzheimer’s. Work at ASU’s Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, which Halden directs, continues providing data and knowledge that could point more directly to a connection between the environment and the body’s genes in leading to the disease.

A new study reported on in the journal Nature Communications reveals more about the intertwining roles of calories, microbes and metabolism in maintaining human health. The study’s authors include Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown and Bruce Rittmann, professors in the  School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. The journal article describes how loading up microbes with calories can boost the body’s metabolism. Calories energize microbes, suggesting our gut microbes define how efficient our bodies are in extracting calories from our food, says Krajmalnik-Brown, who directs ASU’s Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes. The study could help provide solutions to widespread public health problems.

We are in a kind of playful phase in the use of fast-evolving artificial intelligence, or AI, technologies. But it’s a phase fraught with potential for producing threatening upheavals in social cohesion that could impact culture, government, geopolitics, economics and life in general, writes Brad Allenby in a recent commentary published in German in a newspaper based in Switzerland. Allenby, a professor of ethics and engineering in ASU’s Lincoln Center of Applied Ethics and teacher in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools, describes generative AI as being like a glass cage that offers a kind of all-encompassing view of the world around us, but at the same time can still entrap us.

Experts warn that artificial intelligence, or AI, technology is quickly becoming more advanced and thus increasingly capable of making it more difficult to detect fake images and voices. AI expert Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, says scammers’ increasing capabilities to produce more realistic fake images and audio recordings make it more important to educate people on how to detect the small indications of manufactured images and sounds. We must now understand the current reality that our eyes and ears are no longer enough to always accurately discern truth from falsehood.

Technology for developing geospatial analytics applications and deploying them with major cloud data services has drawn more than $5 million in seed money for a startup venture founded by Mo Sarwat, an associate professor of computer science in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and a computer science colleague at Washington State University. Many current data platforms offer minimal functionality for users working with space and time data, Sarwat notes, while his company offers a more efficient and scalable data platform for spatial analytics and artificial intelligence applications that will be especially useful for insurance, fleet management, automotive, agriculture, and real estate industries.

Access to water is among things certain to shape the future of Arizona, and the impacts of climate change are certain to determine the state’s water situation. Enrique Vivoni, a Fulton Schools professor of hydrosystems and his team at ASU have been working with the Arizona’s water managers to find solutions for protecting the state’s watershed — including groundwater, aquifers and surface water, all of which are under stress to keep up with demand. The challenge is to come up with ways to manage water use wisely while still providing for the various water needs of agriculture, businesses, communities and individuals as a long drought period continues.

There is still much to be known about the impacts of extreme temperatures on the human body, but researchers can’t conduct risky experiments on people to find the answers they seek. But they do that with ANDI, a robot designed and equipped with technology that simulates bodily responses to heat, like sweating. ANDI’s sensors can measure variables that affect the human body’s reactions to heat  and related environmental conditions. Research leader Konrad Rykaczewski, an associate professor in ASU’s School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, says ANDI can give us ideas on designing clothing or even exoskeleton backpacks to help wearers better endure hot conditions. See an earlier post on this page dated May 25.

See Also: ANDI the ‘manikin’ is new human-like tool to help understand how people respond to heat, 12 News NBC-Phoenix, June 12

Meet ANDI, world’s first outdoor sweating, breathing, and walking manikin, Inceptive Mind, June 12

This is The First-Ever Robot That Can Breathe, Sweat and Walk, Wonderful Engineering, June 12

Scientists bring out a breathing, sweating manikin, BreathingLabs, June 11

Scientists create the world’s first outdoor walking manikin that sweats, shivers and breathes like a human, Daily Mail, June 9

Ever met a sweaty robot? The Hustle, June 9

This ‘Sweating’ Robot Explores The Science Of Human Perspiration, India Times, June 8

Andoids Get Hot And Sweaty For Science, Medical Republic, June 8

Meet ASU’s new research tool: ANDI the thermal manikin, 3TV/CBS 5-Phoenix, June 7

ASU creates sweating mannequin for extreme heat study, KGUN9 News (Tucson), June 7

Scientists invent first ever ‘breathing, sweating, shivering’ robot, The Independent (UK), and in Yahoo News, also in UNILAD June 7

Scientists Finally Invented Robot That Can Sweat Heavily, Futurism, June 6

ANDI, the thermal dummy aiding research on heat-related illnesses, WION, June 3

Manikin used to study effects of extreme heat on humans, Fox 10 News, June 2

More news coverage: Science Times, Tech Times, Interesting Engineering, Geo News, Ruetir, 12News Witchita KS, 6 WBRC Brimingham AL,  Live5 WCSC Charleston SC, Fox5 Vegas, KGNS Laredo TX , 6News WOWT Omaha NE, Fox8 New Orleans LA, KNEP NBC Scottsbluff NE, Pro Pakistani, SAMAA, India Times, Independent (UK), Yahoo! News, LAD Bible, Express (UK), Daily Star, Unilad, Giant Freakin Robot, The Local Report,

Researchers in several areas of science and engineering are collaborating to pursue advances that will ensure the asphalt of the future will present few, in any, serious dangers to the health of people and the environment. Among those making progress is Elham Fini (pictured), an associate professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools. Fini, who also works for ASU’s Center for Sustainable Macromolecular Materials and Manufacturing, is involved in development of a material that binds asphalt and would emit fewer harmful chemicals. The iron-rich material has been shown to significantly reduce emission of volatile organic compounds and also increase the durability of roads.

Arizona State University was recently selected as one of the newest members of the Association of American Universities, along with five other schools recognized for exemplary leadership in academics and research. ASU has increased research activity and investment to more than $677 million over the past two decades and been selected as the most innovative U.S. university for eight consecutive years by U.S. News and World Report. Many of the university’s notable research endeavors aimed at solving society’s major challenges and serving community needs are led by faculty in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

Earlier this year, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) invested $40 billion in two chip manufacturing centers in Phoenix. ASU has emerged as a key partner in developing the skilled workforce required for the growing semiconductor industry. ASU leaders recently met with representatives from Taiwan’s Ministry of Education, U.S. Departments of State and Commerce, and Taiwanese universities to discuss semiconductor education, support for related industries, and workforce development. Kyle Squires, the dean of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU, is optimistic about the opportunities for collaboration with Taiwan and other U.S. institutions that would enhance Arizona’s position as a tech innovation hub.

Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain implant company, has received approval from the FDA to begin testing its device in humans. The company aims to merge humans with machines to treat various medical conditions and enhance existing abilities. Neuralink’s device, called the “Link,” is a brain chip that can directly interface with the human brain. It uses tiny electrodes implanted in the brain tissue to enable communication between neurons, allowing users to control computers and devices with their thoughts. While other companies are also working on brain implants, Neuralink receives more attention due to its funding and connection to Musk. The company’s vision goes beyond restoration and aims to enhance human abilities, raising ethical concerns. Better regulation and discussion are needed to address these issues and protect mental privacy. Bradley Greger, an associate professor of bioengineering in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, says that beginning human trials is a significant milestone in the process and that there is a lot of space in the burgeoning industry for multiple companies to make their mark.

Krushitha Reddy Thumukuntla recently earned a master’s degree in the Fulton Schools materials science and engineering program and completed studies for a graduate certificate in semiconductor processing. Those achievements make her a good candidate for employment in the U.S. as the country strives to rebuild its domestic semiconductor supply chain and decrease reliance on other countries for critical technology. That economic and strategic mission elevates the value of robust technology-related studies, particularly in engineering, at ASU and other major U.S. universities. Recent investments in Arizona by semiconductor manufacturers will help supply jobs for college graduates as well as put the national economy on a stronger foundation,

A high-tech industry veteran interviews Nancy Cooke, a professor of human systems engineering at The Polytechnic School, a part of the Fulton Schools, about the outlook on the future of robots and their roles in the world. As an expert in human behavior and cognition, Cooke foresees possibilities for people and robots to work more productively together in an array of pursuits. The potential for successful collaboration could expand with advances in artificial intelligence, or AI, technology that can be integrated into robotics, Cooke says. But she cautions that first AI needs to become socially intelligent, in a good way, for beneficial progress to result.

Scammers are using artificial intelligence (AI) voice-cloning technology to call parents with AI-generated recordings of their child’s voice claiming they have been abducted and demanding a ransom of $10,000. Voice-cloning technology is increasingly accessible through websites and apps, making it easier for scammers to replicate voices and deceive people. Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor of computer science at the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, explained how the AI software can copy someone’s voice after merely a few seconds of a speech. Furthermore, Kambhampati calls for improved scam-blocking technology to counter these fraudulent calls.

Barzin Mobasher, a professor for the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, is advancing foundational practices in construction engineering by proposing engineers and contractors adopt fiber-reinforced concrete instead of traditional rebar-reinforced concrete. Fiber-reinforced concrete incorporates tiny fibers into the concrete mix, which helps prevent the formation of large cracks that could compromise the structural integrity of the concrete. Recent projects, such as a Metro Phoenix light rail extension, have demonstrated cost and time savings by using fiber-reinforced concrete. Mobasher says the next big step is to get engineers and contractors to integrate fiber-reinforced concrete into their future builds.

Fulton Schools alumnus Sanjay Paul (pictured) is one of the Phoenix Business Journal’s choices for its annual awards for 40 business leaders under age 40. The awards recognize exceptional professionals in the greater Phoenix area who are seen as being on a fast-track to success through their impacts in their industries and communities. Paul is an air traffic engineer and transportation planner for HDR, Inc., a design company specializing in engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services. Paul earned his doctoral degree in civil, environmental and sustainable engineering in the Fulton Schools. A panel of judges selected this year’s 40 Under 40 honorees from a pool of 330 nominees.

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.

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.

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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, 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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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’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.)

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.

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

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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. 

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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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

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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
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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.

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.  

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.

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

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.)

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.)

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

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

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.

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.

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)

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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 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

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.

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.

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)

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’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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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

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.

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.)

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

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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, Reuters,  Coinspeaker, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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’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 33^rd 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.

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.”

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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 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.

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.

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

“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.

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)

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’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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.)

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.)

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.

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,

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)

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.