January
‘Lucy’ turns 50
The Institute of Human Origins celebrated the 50th anniversary of the discovery of “Lucy” and the impact it has had on anthropological studies and the history of human evolution.
February Air Force ROTC named best in the nation
ASU’s Air Force ROTC
Detachment 025 earned the Right of Line Award, the highest honor given to the best of 145 national detachments. Two staff members received awards for their commitment to building future classes of officers.
March
Kenro Kusumi announced dean of The College, ASU senior vice provost
Kenro Kusumi, a professor of life sciences and former dean of natural sciences, was named senior vice provost and dean of The College, serving over 31,000 students and 1,300 faculty.
April Innovative interdisciplinary projects support 100-year-old botanical garden
In a collaboration between The College and the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, students and faculty are working on research, oral histories and resources to help the arboretum thrive for many years to come.
“It’s great to see so many students benefiting already from this partnership, and it also allows us the opportunity to fulfill part of ASU’s charter, which is to assume responsibility and provide stewardship and support for our local communities.”
— Kenro Kusumi, senior vice provost and dean of The College
Data science student receives Steve Jobs Archive Fellowship
Brinlee Kidd was chosen as one of nine students in the U.S. to participate in the inaugural year of the Steve Jobs Archive Fellowship. She is documenting stories from public institutions across Arizona to advocate for education reform.
May
Center for Heat Resilient Communities becomes national leader in studying extreme heat
In partnership with the University of California, Los Angeles and University of Arizona, the center received $2.5 million in grant funding to support communities in heat mitigation and management.
June Psychology professor earns lifetime achievement award
Department of Psychology
Associate Professor William Fabricius received the 2024 Ned Holstein Shared Parenting Research Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Parents Organization for his studies on the well-being of children in divorced or separated families.
Magic Johnson honors
Martin Luther King Jr.
Magic Johnson addressed a crowd of students and community members during the “Building History: Continuing the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” event on the Tempe campus. The celebration, which commemorated King’s speech at ASU 60 years ago, included a groundbreaking at Durham Hall for a new exhibit honoring King’s visit. Johnson also awarded scholarships to three students in attendance.
July
School of Molecular Sciences hosts
NSF Research Experiences for
Undergraduates
program
Ten students from across the U.S. worked with graduate students and world-renowned faculty for 10 weeks to collaborate on projects and present their findings.
August
ASU alumna dedicates insectary to brother-in-law through endowment
With Dorene McCourt’s generous donation, the mosquito insectary was named after her brother-inlaw, Eugene “Gene” Elefant, who died from West Nile Virus.
“We’ve had our pain because of the loss of Gene, but we hope that we can also experience the
September
Researchers receive $1M grant for ‘Cultivating Civic Virtues Through Action’
An ASU team of humanities and sustainability researchers received the Institutional Impact Grant to help establish communities in higher education that are engaged in social learning and developing dialogues that foster virtue.
October
Traversing new horizons
Almost two decades after the late Ron Greely’s original presentation, the Europa Clipper mission successfully launched and began its six-year journey to investigate Jupiter’s icy moon.
November
Indigenous history takes the stage
ASU English professor
Madeline Sayet directed an adaptation of a Greek classic, “Antigone,” that focused on the return on Native ancestors’ remains from museums.
December
The College recognizes academic excellence with Dean’s Medalists
On December 17, The College celebrated 21 of its highestachieving students from the humanities, natural sciences and social sciences at the fall 2024 convocation ceremony.