2020: The year in pictures

Take a look at some of the most intriguing images made during a most unusual year

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December 23, 2020

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times … it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us …”

Charles Dickens’ introduction was as valid for Arizona State University in 2020 as in his “A Tale of Two Cities.”

The year began with promise and potential, as each one does. The ASU Visual Communications team photographed its new beginnings, the interest in lifelong learning and connecting with new friends. We were hearing about the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), coming first from the Chinese city of Wuhan, spreading soon around the world, to our coasts, to Arizona and the rest of the country.

ASU didn’t sit back to ponder what to do. Once again, it showed why it again earned the title of most innovative university in the country. It acted on its Charter, setting about advancing its research and discovery for the overall health of the communities it serves. The team told the visual stories of the university as it honored first responders and health care workers, as it collected and distributed aid to the people in Indian Country, as it brought comfort to veterans and the indigent, as it showed its grit, creativity and leadership in developing and administering an accurate saliva-based COVID-19 test with results in 24–48 hours.

Simultaneously, the university’s innovation led to enhanced technology installations through all classrooms and lecture halls. Through ASU Sync, students had the choice to attend classes in person or in real time through Zoom.

The visual team documented ASU as it pivoted throughout the year. We couldn’t escape the virus, but we adapted to its challenges. And we took memorable pictures of innovation in action.

  • When are puppies the cutest?

    Psychology Professor Clive Wynne poses for a portrait with an armful of puppies at the Arizona Animal Welfare League and SPCA in Phoenix. Wynne’s previous research has focused on the ideal age of puppy cuteness coming in at 8 weeks, the same age as the puppies in his arms. 

    Photo by Deanna Dent/Arizona State University

  • Growing lettuce in a vertical garden

    Assistant Professor Yujin Park checks on butterhead lettuce plants at ASU's Laboratory for Algae Research and Biotechnology. The goal is to create a circular economy, turning food waste into fertilizer, transforming it into a hydroponic medium to grow lettuce, then returning it to food services.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Exploring a human intestine

    Canyon Smith, 11, and other explorers learn about the microbes in the intestines of astronauts at the Tempe campus Open Door.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Aiming a laser

    Second-year graduate student Sean Tilton helps Charlotte Kolb, 8, aim the laser in the Beus CXFEL laser lab display in Biodesign C, at the Tempe campus Open Door.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Studying a biomimicry sample

    Kay Funk checks out a specimen in resin at the biomimicry display at the Tempe campus Open Door.

    Photo by Deanna Dent/Arizona State University

  • Meeting of the Minds

    NASA astronaut and ASU Global Explorer in Residence Cady Coleman (center) chats with Professor Andrew Maynard of the School for the Future of Innovation in Society (right) at the Interplanetary Initiative Lab's opening. The new facility offers rapid building and testing capabilities, enabling accelerated progress on multiple projects.  

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Painting the A blue

    The ASU Alumni Association's Tonya Gray joins ASU and city of Tempe officials to honor health care workers and first responders by painting the Hayden Butte “A” blue as part of the Light AZ Blue initiative in mid-April. 

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Donation drop-off sign

    Bob Terry III moves signs during the First Peoples' COVID-19 Resource Drive, near Sun Devil Stadium on June 25. ASU volunteers emptied cars, trucks and trailers loaded with nonperishable food, paper products, water, pet food, hand sanitizer and other PPE to be taken to pandemic-stricken Native American reservations in Arizona. 

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Donating box

    Tempe resident and former ASU trustee Jeff Ehret delivers a couple of donations for the resource drive in June.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Bucket brigade

    Volunteers unload a trailer filled with donations from the Higley High School rodeo and equestrian teams.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Loading the truck

    Dillon Strey, 16, takes another box to load in the truck. Strey, of Washington, joined family members to help unload supplies during the First Peoples' COVID-19 Resource Drive.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Repacking boxes

    Dylan Graham sorts and repacks food collected for the resource drive. Graham is a friend of event originators, Katherine and Darryl Sam. 

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Welcome to Hualapai

    Donations from the drive filled two 26-foot trucks: one headed to the Hualapai Tribe and the other to the Navajo in Fort Defiance, in the northeastern part of Arizona. The Hualapai Indian Reservation is in Mohave County, in the northwestern part of the state.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Unloading boxes

    Bobby McCormick caries boxes into the Hualapai community center in Peach Spring, Arizona.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • 55 gallons of hand sanitizer

    Fire department engine captain Alonzo Smith moves a 55-gallon barrel of hand sanitizer at the Hualapai community center.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Loaded down with paper products

    One of the volunteers is loaded down with paper products as he helps unload the truck. The Hualapai tribe is under "stay-at-home" orders and unable to make it to the closest large town for reasonably priced supplies — Kingman, which is 50 miles away.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • The bots are coming

    The new autonomous food-and-snack delivery robots stage near Interdisciplinary B building. The contactless carriage is accessible through an app.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Tucson Social Work Assist

    ASU School of Social Work in Tucson community research specialist Johnathon Horner (left) hands bags over to Tucson House resident Juan Rocha as part of the Thrive in the 05 Initiative, named after the 85705 zip code near the city’s urban core that includes Tucson House, a public housing high-rise, and Old Pascua, a community of the Pascua Yaqui tribe. 

    Photo by Deanna Dent/Arizona State University

  • Pulling the Sync supplies

    ASU Materials Management's Jeremy Twilligear moves a pallet filled with boxes of audio/visual equipment in Coor Hall, in early July. The University Technology Office crew updated projectors, screens, microphones and camera gear as needed in 312 classrooms and 75 department spaces on the four campuses for improved ASU Sync transmissions for the 2020–2021 academic year. 

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Hundreds of boxes

    UTO instructional tech specialist Orlando Moralez looks over hundreds of boxes of audio/visual equipment that he and his team will be assembling and installing in Coor Hall.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Installing new camera

    Spinitar AV installation technician Frank Ramirez checks the mounting plate for the new Polycom camera in a classroom on July 13. Three Spinitar teams installed upgraded audio and new cameras in Coor Hall. In five weeks, they, UTO, and other vendors updated projectors, screens, microphones and camera gear as needed.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Installing new camera 2

    Ramirez sets up the new Polycom camera in a Coor Hall classroom. The campuswide equipment upgrade provided students with technology-enhanced, fully interactive remote learning, using live lectures via Zoom.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • They go there

    Ford AV project engineer Anthony Vengoechea shows which ceiling panels will hold the six suspended Omni-directional microphones in an Agribusiness Center classroom on the Polytechnic campus, as part of the technology upgrade.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Moving Ceiling Panels

    Ford AV project engineer Justin Havely works on the installation of six ceiling-suspended Omni-directional microphones. UTO worked with Ford installers to upgrade audio and new cameras in 43 classrooms on the Polytechnic campus. 

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Faculty on Sync

    Teaching assistant Eric Brown guides his ENG 101 students through the apps they'll use during the first day of the fall 2020 semester. Of the 22 students enrolled in the immersion class, three were in the Coor Hall room with him. 

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Covid Directions

    Medical community volunteers give instructions on using the straws and vials for collection at the free saliva-based tests on a July Saturday morning at Ak-Chin Pavilion in west Phoenix. Around 800 people were tested that day for the coronavirus using the test developed by ASU's Biodesign Institute. 

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Covid test line

    The free, joint testing between ASU and the Arizona Department of Health Services at the University of Phoenix Stadium administered more than 1,000 tests daily. Results were sent to the individuals in 24–48 hours. 

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Outdoor Trumpet Class

    Associate Professor Joe Burgstaller (right) leads his students during the trumpet studio group lesson outdoors in front of ASU Gammage in October. Players used instrument bell covers as they played and spaced 18 feet apart to be as safe as possible when playing together.

    Photo by Deanna Dent/Arizona State University

  • Huts for Vets 1

    Veterans sit together at the side of Webber Creek to discuss military service and returning to civilian life along with several other subjects on a Saturday afternoon in October. Huts for Vets organized an Arizona experience for veterans and civilians including a hiking program, wilderness readings, and discussions near Camp Geronimo outside of Payson, Arizona, on the Mogollon Rim.

    Photo by Deanna Dent/Arizona State University

  • Huts for Vets 2

    Huts for Vets participants enjoy the campfire and full moon.

    Photo by Deanna Dent/Arizona State University

  • Huts for Vets 3

    Hut master Jake Sakson leads participants through qigong exercises before discussions begin at the Huts for Vets retreat.

    Photo by Deanna Dent/Arizona State University

  • Huts for Vets 4

    Huts for Vets Executive Director Paul Andersen listens as Dan Shilling shares his thoughts during a discussion on Sunday afternoon.

    Photo by Deanna Dent/Arizona State University

  • Sustainability Chalk Art

    Phoenix artist Anthony "Eli" Farias and his cousin create the third and final chalk art installation of ASU’s Sustainability Month, at the end of October, outside the Sun Devil Fitness Complex on the Tempe campus. The work was commissioned by ASU Sustainability Practices.

    Photo by Ken Fagan/Arizona State University

  • Gymnastic Ab Work

    Longtime friends Michael Zinter and Connor Abernethy (right) do a workout on the gymnastic equipment on the lawn in front of the Sun Devil Fitness Complex on the Tempe campus in the evening. Sun Devil Fitness and Wellness offered sports and mini-games each Friday, and the fields were available for a variety of athletic activities.

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

  • Blind Leap

    Lecturer J. Edson Magana runs through a dance routine during an outdoor practice with fellow Herberger dance students and faculty on Palm Walk in November.

    Photo by Deanna Dent/Arizona State University

  • Graduate Fall 2020

    Ashley Tabar snaps a selfie as she celebrates receiving her BS in marketing in December. 

    Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University

MORE: ASU's year in review 2020 — and oh, what a year it has been

Top photo: Senior Lecturer Karla Murphy delivers her English 101 composition lecture to one in-class student and 21 others online, on the West campus. Despite the coronavirus challenges, the campus had around 5,375 students enrolled for the fall 2020 semester in the on-campus and in-person immersion modality, increasing from 4,944 a year ago. Overall, ASU had more than 127,500 new and returning students, with over 53,000 fully online. Photo by Charlie Leight/Arizona State University