Constructing complex objects from the bottom up, layer by layer, through a process known as additive manufacturing is set to revolutionize how we build everything from dental implants to houses to spacecraft components.

The technology provides flexibility in design that is unparalleled by any other manufacturing technology. Due to the bottom-up nature of additive manufacturing, it is possible to oversee and monitor each and every step of the process. This provides the opportunity to design complicated parts and be able to change and tweak the process as it’s happening.   The Additive Manufacturing Center on the Arizona State University Polytechnic campus is the largest university research and development facility for additive manufacturing in the southwest United States. Facilities such as this enable more than a dozen cross-disciplinary faculty members to innovate in the fields of manufacturing, advanced materials and process research as well as train the next generation of additive manufacturing professionals. Photo by Jessica Hochreiter/ASU Download Full Image

Additive manufacturing includes a wide range of technologies and materials. In its simplest form, 3D printers use plastic filaments for fast prototyping. At its most sophisticated level, specialized modeling and manufacturing machinery can use various advanced polymers, composites and metal powders to build complex parts.

For example, powder bed technology, an additive manufacturing process in which fine metal powders are melted to create layers of parts, is very useful in building parts for aerospace applications. These parts often deal with high-temperature metals such as titanium and Inconel superalloys that are difficult to machine or form using traditional manufacturing techniques.

The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University is home to several additive technology facilities established in collaboration with industry partners in the Phoenix metro area. More than a dozen cross-disciplinary faculty members are working on manufacturing research and related advanced materials and processes. Students also benefit by learning skills needed for this important industry and having hands-on access to additive manufacturing equipment and facilities.

Faculty members at ASU are instrumental in training the next generation of additive manufacturing professionals by developing new resources to prepare students for this dynamic field and engaging them in applying additive manufacturing knowledge.

Leila Ladani

Leila Ladani, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy and director of the Manufacturing Innovation Center, or MAGIC, recently published the first textbook on the additive manufacturing of metals that provides in-depth technical problems as well as fundamentals of processes and physics of the technology.

The book, "Additive Manufacturing of Metals: Materials, Processes, Tests, and Standards," builds on Ladani’s decade of experience researching and teaching in the field to prepare the next generation of additive manufacturing professionals.

Ladani focuses her research on advancing the process of additive manufacturing through simulation and experiments, using data and machine learning to optimize the process, post-process characterization and developing more efficient materials for this process. 

Ladani discusses the state of this field and its potential to transform the way we design and manufacture metallic parts.

Question: When is additive manufacturing advantageous over other manufacturing processes?

Answer: Additive manufacturing is a disruptive technology — an innovation that alters the way the manufacturing industry operates — with several advantages over traditional manufacturing, including rapid design and build cycles, design flexibility, the ability to custom-build parts very quickly and efficiently, and to save energy, time and materials.

Q: What are the challenges that need to be overcome to successfully use additive manufacturing for metal parts?

A: Many of these parts are made for aerospace applications and they need to pass extensive procedures in qualification and certification in order to be used. 

Researchers are working on optimizing the additive manufacturing process to make it possible to create defect-free parts that can withstand extreme environments and stressors, qualifying the parts after build in addition to developing other advances.

Q: What has surprised you about additive manufacturing during your career?

A: In many different fields when a new trend starts, it tends to continue to a certain peak and then the excitement and investment in that area slows down. What I have discovered about additive manufacturing is that it has been around since the 1980s and is still gaining momentum. I still see a lot of excitement about it. 

I am personally drawn to additive manufacturing because of its potential to transform the way we manufacture metals and its huge research implications. 

Q: What makes the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering an important force in additive manufacturing innovation?

A: Arizona State University and the Fulton Schools have invested significantly in additive manufacturing to become a leader in this field. We are surrounded by aerospace and other industries that provide an abundance of opportunities for additive manufacturing research.  

The Fulton Schools has been forming collaborations with several key industry partners, creating facilities like the Innovation Hub, hiring faculty and developing expertise in this area. We also have a unique structure that provides opportunities for collaboration across disciplines, the ability for students and faculty to find each other and seamlessly collaborate, and the creation of degrees that span disciplines.

And it’s not just additive manufacturing. ASU has been impacting manufacturing as a whole and developing the workforce for manufacturing significantly in the region. Other schools offer certificates in manufacturing, but only four other universities offer a doctoral degree in manufacturing. The Fulton Schools offers not only a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in manufacturing engineering, but we’re starting a doctoral degree in manufacturing engineering aimed to be available in fall 2021. Having all three degrees is unique and offers something students want to pursue.

Q: What should students know about additive manufacturing careers and the future of the industry?

A: Beyond manufacturing degrees, students can be successful in this field with backgrounds in mechanical engineering, industrial engineering and materials science and engineering. These are the four basic areas that are a good foundation for additive manufacturing careers, which include titles such as manufacturing engineer, materials engineer, design engineer and other positions in research and development, business development and much more.

It’s also important for students to know about the machinery used in the industry as well as the associated software to design parts and control the processes. For metal additive manufacturing, students should have a good understanding of the behaviors of the materials they want to work with. 

Students should also learn about the costs and economy surrounding this technology, try to find new applications for it, and in general look at it with an open mind and entrepreneurial mindset to utilize its potential in a different and transformative way. These are all topics covered in my new textbook. 

Q: What’s next for you in additive manufacturing?

A: I’m now trying to use additive manufacturing’s potential in creating new materials with different microstructures and composition. I also think that there is plenty of room to apply machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence in additive manufacturing. 

Q: How would you like to see additive manufacturing change the world in the next 10 years?

A: I admire research that references the eight design aspirations of a New American University. I think additive manufacturing can significantly impact the aspirations to “conduct use-inspired research,” “enable student success” and “be socially embedded.” 

For example, if we can get metal additive manufacturing to the point where a layperson without an engineering background can use it, we can place it in applications such as the medical field to utilize its rapid prototyping and custom-build capabilities, such as designing and building implants in hospitals. This can be achieved with advancements in artificial intelligence and applying them to additive manufacturing user interfaces. Numerous different applications can be found if we observe our surroundings in a socially conscious manner and with open minds.

Recognizing the need for connection and community support, especially for graduate students from underrepresented populations, the Graduate College is piloting a new group mentoring experience. “Circles” are peer-driven mentoring groups available to students looking for community and support within shared academic and cultural identities.

Mentoring circles for the following identity-based communities are launching now:  ASU students chat in a circle

• First-generation graduate students

• International graduate students

• Ethnic and racial minority graduate students

• LGBTQIA+ graduate students

• Graduate students underrepresented in their academic disciplines

For mentors and group facilitators, leading circles is a way to support other graduate students and pay forward the support they’ve received from their mentors. 

“I’m really excited about the launch of the new circles,” said Peiyuan "Boki" Wang. Wang and her academic adviser, Sydney Shaefer, will be co-leading a circle for graduate women in engineering this fall.

“My mentors have given me a safe space to voice my concerns and seek support, and have helped me tremendously in both overcoming common graduate student struggles and in thriving as a growing person,” Wang said. 

Peer mentoring circles meet on a regular basis determined by each circle. Participants themselves will drive discussions around topics or challenges that reflect the common need. Each circle is led by mentors who have completed the CIRCLES Mentor Training Program. These mentors will be guided by a general mentoring framework developed by the Graduate College.

Students interested in starting a new circle or joining an existing circle should visit the Graduate College CIRCLES Group Mentoring webpage or email gradmentor@asu.edu.

Written by Zachary Reeves-Blurton, program manager, Graduate College. 

When sociologists of the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics convened for a faculty meeting on the afternoon of June 2, it was only a little over a week after the tragic killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The images of a police officer kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes covered network news and social media, prompting nationwide protests and calls for abolition of policing and for criminal justice system reform. The Sanford School faculty decided to speak out.

“We all agreed that as a starting point, members of the school should issue a public statement condemning anti-Black state violence,” said Assistant Professor Rocío García. “We recognize that discussions surrounding anti-Blackness and police brutality are difficult conversations for many reasons, yet we recognize that challenging racist state violence far outweighs our discomfort.”  Photo by Pixabay Download Full Image

García, along with Assistant Professor Cassandra Cotton and Assistant Professor Connor Sheehan, came together to craft a Solidarity and Action Statement on behalf of the school. The four-page statement contains a summary of evidence of anti-Blackness in areas such as policing and criminal justice as well as structural inequities, such as the way COVID-19 mortality rates have disproportionately affected Black people. The statement concludes with a list of 15 tangible changes that, while not intended to be exhaustive, are a starting point for moving forward. More than 80 members from the Sanford School signed their support for the statement. 

Rocío García

García is a political sociologist whose work focuses on how the intersections of racism, heteropatriarchy, capitalism and nativism manifest in the politics of reproduction and social justice movements. She has taught classes on contemporary sociological theory centering on the scholarship of people of color and courses on Latino/a feminisms and reproductive justice. Garcia drafted the sections of the statement focused on providing a lens by which to understand current conditions and the initial list of action items.

Cassandra Cotton

Cotton is a family demographer and sociologist whose work focuses on kinship and family dynamics among families in sub-Saharan Africa. She drafted the sections of the statement summarizing state-sanctioned violence against Black people and how white supremacy has contributed to ongoing structural inequalities and disparities between Black and non-Black communities in the U.S.

Sheehan is a demographer who focuses on how social inequality leads to health inequality, and he provided context about how COVID-19 has disproportionately affected Black Americans.

The statement gained broad support from Sanford School faculty, postdocs, grad students and staff.

“Immediately following the distribution of the statement, faculty and graduate students began to look for ways to take action toward each of the action items in the statement,” said Cotton.

García elaborated: “For example, redesigning courses that showcase the value of research on racism conducted by Black scholars along with a universitywide investment in hiring and properly compensating more Black faculty and staff and recruiting more Black students begins to normalize the necessity and value of Black scholarship.

“We hope that readers, particularly those who identify as non-Black, come away with a sense of urgency regarding the historical and present conditions that have brought us to this political moment,” García said. “We hope that non-Black readers recognize the importance of not simply asserting Black lives matter, but of also engaging in individual and institutional actions that support this statement.”

The authors of the statement note that several Sanford School faculty are engaged in critical research focused on understanding and disrupting the meanings and contours of racism. Over the summer, Eleanor Seaton and Rebecca White co-hosted a webinar on anti-racism that addresses the role of research in supporting anti-racist efforts. And Nilda Flores-Gonzales is currently working with Angela Gonzales (School of Social Transformation) and Emir Estrada (School of Human Evolution and Social Change) on how Latino/a, Indigenous and white youth in Arizona make sense of American identity and national belonging in a racist and nativist social landscape. 

“While some members of the Sanford School are engaged in meaningful work against racism, a significant aspect of our motivation to write this statement is the understanding that there is still so much work to be done — and that every member of the Sanford School has an important role in making significant strides against interpersonal, institutional and systemic racism,” said Sheehan.

After a full draft of the statement was created, it was shared with the faculty of color and several graduate students of color in the Sanford School.

“Faculty and graduate students of color provided invaluable feedback, and we are especially grateful to graduate students who took great care to strengthen the list of action items as a means to move forward,” said García.

The authors of the statement wished to ensure a diplomatic and collective dissemination process. Once García and Cotton implemented the edits from colleagues, they shared the statement with members of the Sanford School and asked for signatures. 

“We were blown away by the fact that the majority of the members of the school signed the statement and expressed a commitment to tackle various action items,” said Cotton. 

To further reflect ASU’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, Assistant Professor José Causadias of the Sanford School translated the statement into Spanish.

View the full statement in English and Spanish, as well as a comprehensive list of resources.

“Since posting our Solidarity and Action Statement on June 15, 2020, we remain inspired and driven by the continued organizing on the part of students, faculty, and staff across ASU to dismantle the many forms that anti-Black racism takes in the academy.” (Garcia, Cotton and Sheehan) 

Article by Wesley Jackson

When Peter Fischer came to Arizona State University as a student in the architecture program in 1995, finding his way around campus using an electric wheelchair wasn’t too much of a challenge. Fischer believes that even when the Americans with Disabilities Act — which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations and communications — passed in 1990, the university had already been working toward making campuses accessible for all students.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, accessibility leaders at ASU are hosting an entire year of celebrations starting on Sept. 3, 2020. Upcoming virtual events include a panel about disability services, a discussion of the history of the ADA and an event focusing on adaptive recreation. Image courtesy of 123rf.com. Download Full Image

The celebrations are led by the staff and students who work with ASU Student Accessibility and Inclusive Learning Services (SAILS, formerly known as the Disability Resource Center), who are dedicated to making ASU accessible inside and outside the classroom.

“ASU was ahead of the game before it started,” Fischer said. “I don’t remember there being a lot of barriers, and I think that’s because ASU wanted to accommodate students. It didn't matter what their abilities were, they just wanted to do something.” 

Now working as the ADA compliance coordinator at ASU, Fischer is tasked with reviewing construction projects and renovations to assure that the buildings are ADA compliant. However, Fischer’s role encompasses more than just meeting ADA standards. He documents a list of mobility barriers — 18,000 in 2020 alone — that could be obstacles for students and faculty with disabilities. All are important to address, Fischer said, even if they’re small changes. 

“They might be as simple as the toilet paper roll is a little higher than it’s supposed to be or the bathroom’s missing a certain type of grab bar,” Fischer said. “I have an idea of what really is important to do.”

While ASU continues to make existing buildings and future projects more accessible, Fischer has his eye on the future. He believes that embracing universal design and creating spaces with people with cognitive disabilities in mind is the next step to creating a more accessible campus.

Fischer works with SAILS, which has offices on all ASU campuses to offer accommodations for students with disabilities to provide equal access to academic and university services. Accommodations include test taking, alternate formats of class materials, communication access, notetaking and more. Students who register with SAILS work with accessibility consultants who support their needs inside and outside the classroom.

SAILS also provides training to increase institutional awareness and help faculty and staff understand how to serve students with disabilities. These include lunch-and-learns as well as AccessZone, an in-depth, interactive training offered to the Sun Devil community covering the history of disability and laws that impact those in higher education. 

Fischer said the layout of colors and buildings can have a strong impact on people with cognitive disabilities. 

“I try to instill this idea in all of our project managers,” Fischer said. “It’s not about me in a wheelchair or about someone who is deaf or blind. It’s about all of us being able to experience that space the same or in a way that’s useful for them. I think we’re all pretty familiar with the concept of physical disabilities, as well as deaf and blind concepts, but we’re not really sure about cognitive disabilities yet.”

Looking to the future of access and inclusion, ASU also has its hands on the crossroads between technology and accessibility. Terri Hedgpeth, currently the director of accessibility for ASU’s Educational Outreach and Student Services and former director of Student Accessibility and Inclusive Learning Services, works to increase participation of students with disabilities concerning access to online platforms. 

Hedgpeth, who is blind, found how much of an impact technology can have in terms of accessibility during her time at SAILS. 

Before Hedgpeth and SAILS implemented AIM (now DRC Connect), students had to come into the office, make an appointment with a consultant and bring all the necessary paperwork. Although she faced pushback, she believed an online scheduling and consulting platform would help SAILS reach students who didn’t want to come into the office but wanted resources.

Hedgpeth said after the online platform was implemented in the spring of 2010, SAILS went from serving 1,900 students to 3,500 in one semester. Currently, it serves around 6,800 students. 

“Just because you have a disability, hidden, obvious or observable, you shouldn’t have to go through so many extra steps just to get access to the course content and facilities that everyone has automatically,” Hedgpeth said. “Especially people with hidden disabilities, they might have felt inhibited to come into that office.”

Recently, Hedgpeth has worked on more projects to make technology-driven experiences more accessible. She worked on accessibility for several years with Handshake, the college career development platform. When the Sun Devil Fitness and Wellness complex was renewing their equipment contract, Hedgpeth was involved to make sure a good percentage of the equipment was accessible to blind or vision-impaired students. 

Hedgpeth also reaches out to oft-used apps and platforms to help guide them in becoming more accessible. Most vendors don’t have an ADA compliance employee, and some aren’t always willing to listen or change. Yet, Hedgpeth helps them work toward solutions that truly have all users in mind. 

“That needs to be the experience you offer everybody, not just the ones you’ve recognized,” Hedgpeth said.

Keep up with the year of celebration events on the ASU ADA celebration website and join in the kickoff event, a panel discussion on ASU’s disability services and the impact of the ADA on higher education, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, via Zoom.

Written by Julian Klein, Sun Devil Storyteller

Through an interdisciplinary approach jointly formed by The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, W. P. Carey School of Business and the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University is launching a new initiative to help reduce inequality in the United States.

ASU President Michael Crow was instrumental in bringing together the interdisciplinary group and recruiting Ehsan Zaffar, a senior adviser on civil rights and civil liberties at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to launch and lead the initiative beginning in January 2021. Collaboration throughout the university is critical for the success of this initiative because social, political and economic inequality is systemic and affects society as a whole. Ehsan Zaffar, prominent civil rights attorney and senior government adviser, will lead ASU's new initiative to address inequality. Download Full Image

“The U.S. Constitution’s aspirations of the right to equal justice, the right to pursue happiness and the right to individual liberty, are, in fact, unfairly and inequitably distributed across our society,” Crow said. “With systemic racism, economic disparities and many more issues of injustice and inequality we are facing, ASU must do more to make a practical and meaningful impact. Our deans, faculty and students across ASU made a commitment earlier this year to outline new programs that we can initiate with our own resources and then pursue additional partners in creating and deploying new solutions to transform social justice. The creation of this initiative is one of these new concepts.”

Zaffar, who was appointed ASU Law professor of practice, envisions the initiative as an applied center that will leverage cross-functional proficiencies at ASU to create classes, comprehensive private-sector partnerships, and tangible “products” to help students learn, help faculty broaden their areas of expertise, and provide affected communities with the tools to diminish structural inequality.

These products would range from educational tools for use inside and outside the classroom to indexes and maps for nonprofit and government organizations to smartphone apps that can be shared widely throughout impacted communities.

“Reducing inequality will rely on all of ASU’s fundamental strengths: an openness to innovation, a community of amazing students and faculty, and the involvement of a network of supporters, alumni and citizens who are passionate about eliminating unfair systems,” Zaffar said. “The COVID-19 pandemic and protests against police brutality make it even clearer why we must rebuild equitable systems, and I am grateful to President Crow for the opportunity to realize this vision at ASU. It is my hope that 50 years from now, students who join this initiative will help create a world where people don’t feel like they have to join protests to obtain basic, fundamental rights.”

A civil rights attorney, educator and advocate, Zaffar began serving during President Barack Obama’s administration as a “peacemaker” for community and faith-based conflicts arising from actual or alleged discrimination at the Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. He continues to provide leadership on these issues as a board member at Team Rubicon and as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Zaffar joined government service as a well-known expert in the areas of civil rights, inequality and social justice, having taught courses on these subjects at George Washington University and George Mason University. Prior to his work at DHS, he served at Los Angeles County’s office of the public defender, where he represented juvenile defendants in Compton, California, and also founded the Los Angeles Mobile Legal Aid Clinic — a “law firm on wheels” that helped to pioneer the delivery of legal care to vulnerable populations in California and abroad.

His latest book “Understanding Homeland Security” (2019) helps students understand the role of the homeland security enterprise on American communities and his podcast “UnfairNation” features interviews with leaders working to make the U.S. a fairer place for all.

If you are interested in participating in, or contributing to, the initiative, contact Terri Burkel at terri.burkel@asu.edu.

Arizona State University's Humanities Lab and the School of International Letters and Cultures have announced the Humanities Lab’s new administrative affiliation as part of the School of International Letters and Cultures collective.

The Humanities Lab, launched on ASU’s Tempe campus in fall 2017, is an academic initiative that offers students team-taught, problem-focused, humanities-based interdisciplinary courses designed to produce collaborative exploratory learning experiences and outcomes. All labs tackle pressing social challenges that afflict our world today, issues ranging from the future of cars to energy justice in the Navajo Nation, from food sovereignty to dismantling ableism, from human land use in the Amazon and Arizona to the protection of biological and linguistic diversity. The newly renovated Durham building, still undergoing renovations in the south wing, is home to the School of International Letters and Cultures. Photo by Maureen Kobierowski Download Full Image

Coming together as part of the school's collective is synergistic. The School of International Letters and Cultures and the Humanities Lab are aligned in their missions to help students become globally informed citizens in a world of complex challenges.

“This affiliation comes at an ideal time when the Humanities Lab and (the school) are experiencing accelerated growth and interest as the pandemic reveals the depth of global inequities as well as the urgency of transnational communication and collaboration,” Humanities Lab Co-director Juliann Vitullo said. 

School of International Letters and Cultures Director and longtime supporter Nina Berman expressed her praise for the partnership: “The Humanities Lab is a highly dynamic incubator for innovative teaching at ASU. (The school) is very excited to become the home for the lab, which has been a true trailblazer, both in terms of the content of the courses offered as well as experimental pedagogies.”

Since its early inception, the Humanities Lab has partnered with the School of International Letters and Cultures to bring international perspectives into the lab experience. Collaborations include labs such as: "Re-Envisioning Food Systems" and "Facing Immigration" (fall 2018), "Facing Immigration II" (spring 2019), "Why is the Amazon Burning?" and "Only English?" (fall 2020), and "Sustainable Fashion" and "Information Overload" (coming spring 2021).

The fall 2020 labs Why is the Amazon Burning? and Only English? will be the first School of International Letters and Cultures cross-listed labs to kick off under the affiliation. Both labs continue the practice of bringing individuals and community partners from around the globe into their classroom experiences via Zoom and social media.

International study abroad programming is another space in which the two partners see the opportunity to grow together in a significant way.

Some of this had already begun to evolve organically with a collaborative research project and the creation of a new study abroad program developed by faculty team Christiane Reves, from the School of International Letters and Cultures and Sujey Vega, from the School of Social Transformation. Reves and Vega had designed a research project and summer 2020 study abroad experience comparing migration in Berlin and Phoenix as a new project stemming from their 2018 Humanities Lab "Facing Immigration I."

The School of Social Transformation was the inaugural home of the Humanities Lab because of the school’s focus on social justice. The school’s faculty have played and continue to play an important role in the creation of new Humanities Labs.

“The (schools') collaboration is an excellent example of ASU’s commitment to interdisciplinary rigor and creativity,” said Heather Switzer, from the School of Social Transformation and Humanities Lab co-director.

In addition to the School of International Letters and Cultures and the School of Social Transformation, the Humanities Lab currently collaborates with 12 colleges and schools from across all ASU campuses. Vitullo and Switzer invite and welcome exciting and interesting ideas for labs that address urgent social challenges from faculty from across all of ASU’s disciplines and programs.

Both the School of International Letters and Cultures and the Humanities Lab welcome students of all levels — both undergraduate and graduate — and from varying cultural and disciplinary backgrounds to participate in their programs and contribute to the creation of innovative approaches to making a better and more inclusive world. 

“Since both (the School of International Letters and Cultures) and the Humanities Lab deeply value bridging cultural gaps as much as historical and cultural contexts, this merger is a very natural fit and we are quite pleased to have been able to bring this affiliation to fruition,” Berman said.

Aug. 19, 2020 will be remembered as a historic date for years to come, as it marks the day that a woman of color was first nominated to run for the second most powerful position in the American government.

As fellows participating in Arizona State University's T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics' Summer Undergraduate Program for Engaging with Research (SUPER) this last June found in their research projects, Kamala Harris’ nomination to the Democratic presidential ticket for the 2020 election will be a watershed moment for Arizona’s underrepresented youth, who are looking for political leaders who look like them. SUPER fellows meet with Cassandra Cotton Download Full Image

As Cara, a young Latina who was interviewed as part of this year’s research project said, “The underrepresentation of my community (is what motivated me to become politically involved). Having leaders who represent me and want something better ... Having a voice is important.”

Increased representation is not only important in politics, it’s also important in other spaces, such as social science research, where people from nonwhite racial and ethnic groups make up less than 10% of university professors. SUPER is a program created precisely to increase the representation of people from underrepresented groups in social science research careers. In SUPER, students are exposed to research in social sciences and related careers, work on their own research projects, learn about diversity-related issues in research careers and develop their career goals. 

This year, SUPER fellows were in for a very special research experience, thanks to SUPER’s collaboration with the Arizona Youth Identity Project, a research study from the School of Social and Family Dynamics led by Nilda Flores-Gonzalez, Angela Gonzalez, Emir Estrada, Edward Vargas and Nathan Martin.

This project, funded by the National Science Foundation and the Russell Sage Foundation, is examining how rapidly changing economic, demographic and political dynamics shape young adults’ political identities and political participation during the months leading up to and following the 2020 U.S. elections, and amid a pandemic.

Nilda Flores-Gonzalez, professor and associate director at the School of Social and Family Dynamics, provided an accelerated hands-on research practicum on interviewing to this year’s six SUPER fellows who were tasked with testing the interview guide. SUPER fellows recruited participants, and conducted, transcribed and analyzed interviews to develop their individual research projects.

These planned changes were intensified by two pandemics that made this SUPER experience an even more exceptional one than anyone could have expected. First, just as the fellows were finding out that they had been accepted into the program, the coronavirus pandemic was making its way into the United States. As a result, a program that had previously required students to be on campus 20 hours a week for six weeks had to be redesigned and moved online in a matter of weeks.

“We selected our fellows just as ASU announced plans to go online for the spring semester, so we held out hope that we could be together in person in the summer. When it became clear that this wouldn’t be possible, we went into high-gear to figure out how to teach the fellows digital data collection techniques and how we could create a sense of community between our fellows and the broader (School of Social and Family Dynamic) community,” said Cassandra Cotton, assistant professor at the School of Social and Family Dynamics. Cotton was one of the co-organizers and instructors of SUPER, along with Assistant Research Professor Manuela Jimenez and Lecturer Casey Sechler.

Despite this unexpected change of plans, all the 2020 SUPER fellows who were initially accepted for the program remained committed and got to work with the program every Monday morning at 9 a.m.

“Even though this was a last-minute change, obviously, because of COVID, I think it was pretty cool that we still were able to have the experience and be a part of something,” said Jamie Medina, one of this year’s fellows. 

Then, on May 25, 2020, George Floyd was killed in Minnesota. This event brought the pandemic of racism to the country’s forefront and gave way to a national racial reckoning. In an example of monumental political and civic engagement, the actions that ended in Floyd’s death led to large, nationwide protests against police brutality, particularly against Black people. These protests took place just as the SUPER fellows were interviewing local youth about their political engagement, with questions around topics such as their experiences of racial discrimination and what they consider to be the most important political issues facing the country.

Floyd’s death and the following protests highlighted the relevance of the projects that the fellows were doing as spaces that would improve our understanding of how and why youth engage with the betterment of our country, and the importance of their participation to reduce existing inequalities and transform the country.

The 2020 cohort of SUPER fellows finished the program and their projects with a new sense of urgency and social responsibility. In their final presentations to faculty, friends and family, the fellows expertly discussed projects targeting questions that ranged from how youth’s racial experiences influence their political engagement to how mixed-race adolescents experience racial conflict within their families. 

Marcella Gemelli, senior lecturer and online graduate program director of sociology in the School of Social and Family Dynamics, highlighted the poise with which the students shared their work: “I really enjoyed seeing and hearing how confident these young researchers were describing their work, reporting their findings, and answering questions.”  

Masumi Iida, associate professor at the school who attended the fellows’ final presentations, said, “I was thoroughly impressed with every one of their thoughtful projects. It is truly amazing what they can accomplish in just six weeks ... and how the course and data collection unfolded over the social justice movement. ... What an amazingly rich data in the critical juncture of the U.S. history.”

Flores-Gonzalez added, “We were able to give the fellows a significant research experience in those few weeks. Some had little or no research experience but with encouragement and guidance met the challenge head-on. We had given them feedback on their presentations and during their rehearsals, but I was in awe seeing one after another excelling in their presentations.”

As the fall semester started, the SUPER fellows were ready to bring what they learned over the summer. Despite the change to a remote program, the fellows expressed excitement about the skills they had learned and the connections they had made with faculty.

Elisa Thomas, a rising sophomore, gained confidence in her ability to create connections with faculty, something she feels is important to have learned early in her academic career.

“It’s extremely helpful to know that there’s someone there that I can turn to and it won’t feel uncomfortable. To have people that actually want to be there for me is really nice to know. I’m so glad I did this as an incoming sophomore,” Thomas said.

Though later in her academic career, Anabel Figueroa similarly felt that meeting faculty in this more informal space made her feel welcomed in reaching out later on, saying, “It opens the door for us to go talk to them, because that’s what they highly encouraged. It truly made a great impact not only on us as students, but also on building those connections with them as faculty.”

Just like Cara said in her interview about political engagement, participating in SUPER highlighted for several fellows why their voices and perspectives are important in research.

Thomas noted, “Being someone of color, I think it’s just shown me that my perspective can be beneficial.” 

Medina, too, found a place in research, in which she had previously “felt kind of left out.”

“I feel like before, it was very intimidating. Just because you see your professor up there in the front, and in a big class. And it’s just kind of intimidating because sometimes they’ll talk about their research, and I feel like ... their research is kind of for elite students. And (SUPER) made me realize that anyone who is interested in research can be a part of it.”  

Medina will continue to be engaged in research during the fall semester as a research assistant in the Arizona Youth Identity Project.

From manatee calves being raised by a single mother to male jacana birds who raise related young from nearby nests — there are hundreds of family structures found in the wild. Arizona State University alumna and staff member Karla Moeller highlights these diverse families found in the animal kingdom while drawing comparisons to human families in her latest children’s book, “Moms, Dads and Lily Pads.”

Moeller, who earned her PhD in biology from The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2016 and serves as executive education outreach coordinator in ASU’s Office of the University Provost, first became passionate about science writing and communication through her involvement with ASU’s Ask A Biologist. In 2016, she took this passion to the next level when she wrote “Joryn Looked Up,” a children’s book about overcoming and embracing change.  "Moms, Dads and Lily Pads" book cover. Download Full Image

After enjoying the process of creating her first book, Moeller brainstormed ideas for another. She spoke to her friends who are parents and learned that many of them didn’t feel truly represented in most of the children’s books that were available.

“By having conversations with friends who didn't feel that their family type was represented in many books I started thinking about different ways that animals could be used to represent different family types,” Moeller said. “At first I was focusing really heavily on one specific type of family, but then I realized that there were examples of essentially every type of family in other animals as well.”

In the 40-page picture book, Moeller introduces over 10 animal species that have diverse family structures, similar to some seen in humans. In the animal glossary section of the book, Moeller shares more in-depth information about 23 different kinds of animals.

“Nature has always been a driver of inspiration and interest for me. I got into science because the natural world is just amazing and I think that it's really important to realize how many lessons we can learn from it,” Moeller said. “That's part of why I try to combine my science background with writing.”

Unlike in her last book, Moeller utilized rhyming language, which posed a new challenge for her.