ASU President's Awards honor university innovators

ASU faculty and staff have re-imagined their roles and developed creative and inspiring programs that advance innovation, sustainability and social embeddedness to help ASU and Arizona communities and schools in a big way.

In recognition of their achievements, ASU President Michael Crow hosted a reception April 18 to present the President’s Award for Innovation, the President’s Award for Sustainability, the President’s Medal for Social Embeddedness, and the Top Multiple Sun Award recipients for Individual Excellence.

The Office of Human Resources coordinated the event.
 

President's Award for Innovation

ASU values innovative contributions and recognizes ASU faculty and staff who have developed creative and inspiring projects and programs that address one or more of the challenges before us. This award provides formal recognition to ASU teams that have made significant contributions to ASU and higher education through the creation, development, and implementation of innovative projects, programs, initiatives, services and techniques.
 

iTeachAZ
The Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College responded to the challenge of preparing more highly effective teachers by creating iTeachAZ, an undergraduate teacher preparation program that provides pre-service teachers with more content area coursework and double the amount of classroom experience.


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President's Award for Sustainability

Sustainability is a balance of environmental, social and economic concerns. ASU staff and faculty are advancing sustainability by demonstrating exemplary practices, leading by example, and sharing solutions to catalyze change. This award recognizes ASU teams that have demonstrated excellence in fostering the successful development, implementation, and promotion of sustainability principles, solutions, programs, and services in the teaching, learning, research and business missions of the university.
 

Facilities Management Grounds Services – Grounds for Grounds
In February 2012, Facilities Management Grounds Services in conjunction with Aramark, the Facilities Management Recycling Program, and ASU's Biodesign Institute introduced the “Grounds for Grounds” program to ASU. The program diverts Tempe campus’ used espresso and coffee grounds from the landfill and puts them to use as a natural fertilizer and soil amendment.
 

Materials Management Recycling
Over the last few years, Materials Management (formerly ASU Stores and University Mail Services) has created a collection channel that is designed to promote and enhance the recycling efforts on campus. What started as a process designed to assist ASU Recycling turned into a business practice that created active engagement on the part of our team and the rest of the ASU community.
 

Sustainability Science for Sustainability Schools
The Sustainability Science for Sustainable Schools (S4) program addresses the challenge of providing sustainable solutions through the teaming of ASU graduate students, researchers, staff, high school teachers and students, and district administrators in a project designed to address the challenge of becoming a sustainable school within the Phoenix metropolitan region. 
 

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President's Medal for Social Embeddedness

For ASU, social embeddedness is a university-wide, interactive, and mutually-supportive partnership with the communities of Arizona. This award recognizes ASU teams that have demonstrated excellence in fostering mutually-beneficial partnerships with community leaders to identify a community need and to co-create and implement a solution that leads to positive social change in the community and in the research, teaching and service practices of ASU.
 

Improved Nutrition through Arizona Farmers' Markets
Buying ‘local’ from farmers’ markets (FMs) is a fast-growing trend, and one of importance for health. FMs may increase access to healthy whole foods, especially in neighborhoods that might otherwise lack them. The Farmers' Markets for Health team partnered with FM managers in underserved communities to identify technology solutions to barriers that limit use of FMs.


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SUN Award for Individual Excellence

Four employees are singled out for this extraordinary honor based on the quality of their work as recorded in the SUN Awards they received from ASU faculty and staff during calendar 2012 and by their managers’ commendation of their exceptional performance.

• Melanie Baca, senior program coordinator, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Partner Grants

• Jason Bronowitz, lecturer, Department of Technological Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management

• Rebecca Hutchison, office specialist, Parking & Transit Services

• Elaine Rostad, director of student services, School of Nutrition and Health Promotion

Contact:
Linda Uhley
Office of Human Resources
linda.uhley@asu.edu