ASU Feature Archive - Summer 2005

Professor: Loopholes cost U.S. billions in lost revenue

It’s a commonly known practice that U.S. corporations use subsidiaries in nations with lower taxes to reduce their overall tax burden. But a recent study by ASU accountancy professor Charles Christian says abuses of the practice are costing the U.S. Treasury tens of billions of dollars annually. Read more

ASU exemplifies new Gold Standard

In today’s complex society, universities provide educational, economic, social and cultural strength to a region - but current higher education models fall short of that goal. ASU is a pioneer of the New American University - one that is inclusive, pursues research for the public good and assumes major responsibility for the economic, social and cultural vitality of our community. Read more

Center aims to put the “affordable” back into housing

A new home on the Navajo Nation is showing that affordable housing doesn’t have to be synonymous with low quality. The highly energy efficient home, designed by Navajo architecture students and built by ASU’s Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family, is the first of a string of projects aimed at revolutionizing affordable housing design. Read more

Professor explores hair’s cultural implications for African-Americans

For many African-Americans, hair plays a central role in cultural and personal identity. ASU's Neal Lester, an expert in African-American literary and cultural studies, has seen firsthand hair’s cultural impact. Now he is trying to help others explore the issue as not one of the past, but one that continues to complicate African-Americans’ self-identities and broader social ideals of beauty. Read more

It’s a dirty job, but…
Study finds workers cope with their roles

Every day, people perform jobs that are considered socially undesirable – undertaker, welfare counselor and street sweeper, to name a few – and in many respects those jobs come with a cost. In a new study, W. P. Carey School of Business professor Blake Ashforth looks at so-called “dirty work” – and the coping strategies adopted by workers to gain societal and personal acceptance of their positions. Read more

An ‘A’ for athletics
ASU sports teams earn top marks on, off field

Throughout the 2004-05 athletic season, student-athletes on ASU’s 12 women’s and 10 men’s sports teams made their mark on a national scale. When all the results were totaled, ASU ended the year with four top-10 finishes, multiple top-20 finishes, several Pac-10 championships, and numerous national and conference player recognitions for academics and athletics. Read more

Professor finds cautionary tale written in stone

An ASU geography professor, along with two of his former students, recently discovered an ancient landslide in the McDowell Mountains near the border of metropolitan Phoenix. The slide – which went unnoticed for thousands of years – serves as a warning for new developments that are pushing into the base of the mountains, they say. Read more

Capitol idea: ASU scholars wow Washington

A group of ASU students is making its mark on the nation’s capitol this summer. The students are serving as interns for some of the most influential organizations in the country. The 21 students, members of ASU’s elite Capitol Scholars program, are gaining a hands-on education about the country’s political nerve center – and the opportunity to capitalize on a once-in-a-lifetime internship. Read more

Researchers target hydrogen, solar cells as energy sources

In August 2003, an electrical blackout plunged the major cities of the northeastern United States into darkness. A team of ASU researchers contends that never had to happen. The researchers are looking at new ways to develop alternative energy sources – and eliminate blackouts – through the use of hydrogen fuel cells and photovoltaic systems. Read more

Family Fun Day features art, animals

For as long as people have been creating art, animals have always been an important subject. The ASU Art Museum is taking a closer look at the role of animals in art and society with the special exhibit “Fur, Feathers and Family.” The exhibit will serve as the centerpiece of the museum’s annual Family Fun Day, July 16. Read more

DeNardo separates Gila monster fact from fiction

During early exploration in the desert Southwest, few animals were as misrepresented as the Gila monster – the tales were tall and the exaggerations deep. ASU researcher and university veterinarian Dale DeNardo is getting to the bottom of the stories and gaining new understanding on America’s largest – and only – venomous lizard. Read more

Doctor shortage lands Arizona in emergency room

Rapid population growth, coupled with an aging baby-boomer generation, have earned Arizona a D-minus for the number of doctors in service to the population – and experts say that grade is about to get worse. That discouraging news comes from a new study led by health management and policy experts at ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business. Read more

ASU’s Colbourn takes “Greedy” approach to catching bugs

Each year, bugs found in computer software cost the United States economy around $60 billion, according to industry estimates. While software engineers often don’t like testing for them, ASU professor Charles Colbourn is seeking them out, hoping to find new ways to exterminate the $60 billion problem through a specialized “Greedy” algorithm. Read more

Funds target disease in world’s poorest nations

In the world’s poorest countries, millions die each year from diseases that often are treated easily elsewhere. The Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is investing $436 million – including $14.8 million awarded to ASU's Roy Curtiss – to create health tools that are effective, inexpensive and simple to use in developing nations. Read more

Newport explores softer side of superheroes

For generations, children have been inspired by the ideals of comic-book superheroes. ASU art professor Mark Newport, a comics enthusiast as a child in New York, is presenting a new perspective on this old concept using a surprising art form: knitting. His exhibit, “Super Heroics,” is aimed at presenting a softer side to the genre’s legendary characters. Read more

Researchers find photosynthesis deep within ocean

In the inky blackness of the ocean depths, a newly discovered bacterium is living despite its natural need for light. Researchers, including ASU biochemist Robert Blankenship, say the organism’s photosynthesis adaptations 1.5 miles under water could provide valuable clues in the resiliency of life – and the search for life forms on other planets. Read more

Nursing students, clinic attend to community needs

In 1977, ASU’s Community Health Services Clinic became the first federally funded nurse-managed clinic in the United States. Now, almost three decades later, the clinic still serves an important role as a training ground for nursing students – and as a vital provider of health care for the less fortunate. Read more

Research shows tsunami’s destructive path

Last December’s tsunami was a destructive force of nature, sweeping away entire villages and killing an estimated 200,000 people. Now, a team of researchers, including ASU’s Harindra Joseph Fernando, reports that some areas of Sri Lanka were devastated more than others – and that the increased destruction follows human development along coastal regions. Read more

Human prejudice has evolved, say ASU researchers

Evolution may have created a tendency in our prehistoric ancestors to be prejudiced as a way to protect themselves from various threats, according to two ASU researchers. But instead of justifying prejudice, ASU psychologists Steven Neuberg and Catherine Cottrell say the knowledge helps us better understand where present-day prejudices come from and how we might more effectively combat them. Read more

ASU graduates historic Shanghai MBA class

ASU has marked a historic first, with the graduation of the inaugural W. P. Carey MBA Shanghai class. The class of 64 students represents high-level business and government leaders and is the result of a first-of-its kind partnership between ASU and the Chinese government. The students form a core group that will guide China’s global trade agenda for years to come. Read more

Research team looks deep for volcanic island “roots”

Deep inside our planet, researchers are finding hints of exotic material and behaviors unlike anything else on Earth. Now a team of researchers, including ASU seismologists Sebastian Rost and Edward Garnero, is connecting the dynamic activities deep down with the formation of geologic features at the surface, such as volcanic islands. Read more

Smallpox’s strengths could curb bioterror threat

In the battle against smallpox, ASU researcher Bertram Jacobs is taking a counterintuitive approach: he believes he can turn the biochemical machinery of the pox virus against itself. The end result of his research has the potential to protect the public against catastrophic bioterror attacks. Read more